Kristian completed his PhD studies at Manchester Metropolitan University (Manchester School of Art) in the UK. He previously lived in Singapore (for a professional stint at the Asia-Europe Foundation), Hong Kong (for his research work at Hong Kong Baptist University School of Communication and Film), and London (for his postgraduate studies at the University of Westminster). As an interdisciplinary researcher, he specializes in communication studies, digital humanities, participatory photography, and visual culture – with a focus on contemporary regionalism, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM). His PhD thesis, Imagining the Contemporary ASEAN Discourse by way of Participatory Photography and Curatorial Collaboration, won the Top Dissertation Award of the Visual Communication Studies Division of the International Communication Association in 2024.

His creative practice includes various digital media (graphic design, photography, video), visual art (calligraphy, ink, watercolour), performance art (movement, music, theatre), and literature (poetry, songwriting). He often brings together these various specialisms into his curatorial practice and directing experience. As a creative media practitioner, he had been involved in the production of indie films and docu films produced under CinemaOne Originals, CineManila, and CineMalaya, as well as in exhibitions and art projects held at the Vargas Museum, Yuchengco Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, GSIS Museo ng Sining, and BGC Art Market, among others. 

His current and previous academic and professional affiliations include the following: International Communication Association (ICA), International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR), Association for Cultural Studies (ACS), Association of Southeast Asian Studies in the United Kingdom (ASEASUK), Nordic Summer University (NSU), Japan Association for Cultural Economics (JACE), and Asia-Europe Foundation University Alumni Association (ASEFUAN).