Lilia Kanu

Fulbright All-Disciplines Postgraduate Award - New York University

Lilia graduated with a First-Class BA in History and English from Balliol College, University of Oxford, in 2024. Since then, she has worked and volunteered at leading cultural institutions in her native London, including the V&A, the Royal Academy of Arts and Kenwood House. She has recently spent seven months living in Paris whilst broadening her perspective on European art and museum cultures. For the next two years, Lilia will be pursuing a Master’s degree in Art History and Archaeology at NYU’s Institute of Fine Arts. Her research will explore the interpretive possibilities for understanding the identities and experiences of women of colour within works traditionally understood as perpetuating a singular colonial view. Specifically, she is interested in the representation of multiracial figures of African descent in long nineteenth-century European portraiture. As an aspiring curator, she will be able to engage critically with evolving approaches to representation and restitution in U.S. museum contexts, with the goal of returning to the UK ready to help foster a more globally connected and inclusive arts sector. During her Fulbright Award, Lilia looks forward to spending time absorbing the rich arts landscape the East Coast has to offer. Besides spending as much time at The Met as possible, she wants to explore NYC’s music scenes and finding the best views of her new city!