Rebecca Nunes

Associate Professor Of Lens-Based Media

School of Digital, Technologies and Arts

Nunes was born in England and grew up in the West Midlands. After leaving school Becky studied film and literature at Warwick University, leaving with a B.A. From there Becky headed overseas, working first in the U.S and then arriving in Aotearoa-New Zealand, where she began a 6-year apprenticeship to commercial photographer Bill Nichol. Eventually she took the plunge and began her own commercial practice; one of very few women to be working commercially at that time. Becky was active in her professional body, holding the role of Vice president of the Association of Photographers in New Zealand for several years. A respected commercial and editorial photographer, Nunes has worked with numerous publishers, designers and advertising agencies. Her images have won awards and been published locally and overseas.

In 2008 Nunes made over 50 portraits for the significant publication “Mau Moko -The World of Maori Tattoo”, published by Penguin NZ. This body of work has subsequently been shown internationally, travelling to museums in Switzerland and Hamburg. Nunes has been a finalist in the N.Z National Wallace Art Awards on several occasions. Her work has been shown in group and solo exhibitions and is held in several private collections. In 2014 Nunes completed an MFA with First Class Honors. Her ongoing practice investigates the more-than-human, issues of co-authorship and the traces and modifications of post-industrial landscapes

Academic qualifications

MFA, 1^st Class Hons: Whitecliffe College. Auckland N.Z

BA, Film & Literature: Warwick University, England

Research interests

Collaborative practices,
The more-than-human,
Critical ecology
Ecofeminism
Post-Industrial regeneration

Grants

EU MSCA-ITN-ETN “OBERON” Opto-Biomechanical Eye Research Network proposal number 956720, Total value 3.88 million euro (2021-2025).

Enterprise and commercial interests

As part of the creative partnership 35A I have designed and delivered online critical and contextual workshops as valuable CPD resources for visual arts academics.

Publications

2021 We Look to the Future With Progressive Ideals. Group show as part of 6 month residency, Thistle Hall Lightbox, Wellington, N.Z

2020 An Age of Iron. HD Video, 8' looped.

RM Gallery, Auckland March 4th - 21st

The Water Sustains Us: Production of collaborative student exhibition produced online for Auckland Festival of Photography May 30-June 10th

2019 Visual Citizenship. Visual politics and documentary practice. Paper presentation at AAANZ Conference, Auckland University Dec 5-10^th

15 Minutes of Fame – Warhol, Facebook and the Work of Luke Willis Thompson Paper presentation at SPE National Conference, Cleveland, Ohio. Mar 6-10^th.

Recipient of the 2019 SPE International Conference Grant for highest ranked peer-reviewed paper.

2018 Co-opting the Apparatus.

The lens as feminist tool for social engaged art practice in Aotearoa-New Zealand. Paper presentation at Aesthetics, Politics and Histories, the Social Context of Art. AAANZ Conferences, RMIT Melbourne Dec 5-10^th

This Air is a Material screening & artist talk: Christchurch City Art gallery. April 17^th

Triangulated Agency and Co-authorship in a Photographic Practice. ArtMatters April 2018 published by Auckland City Art Gallery

2017 Pyrite. (B. Nunes. 2017 600x400 digital composite/Dibond) Finalist and Travelling exhibition: Wallace Art Awards

This Air is a Material screening & paper presentation: ARC Theatre, National Film and sound Archive of Australia. Women in the Creative arts Research Conference, Australia National University Canberra 10-12^th August 2017.

Collaborative Processes and key thematics in the film This Air is a Material – The work of Ann Shelton. Women in the Creative arts Research Conference, Australia National University Canberra 10-12^th August 2017.

This Air is a Material screening: DocEdge Festival Auckland and Wellington May/June 2017

PAPERWORK group exhibition at DEMO Space March 23-26^th

NEWPHOTOMEDIA Curated by Tangent as part of Auckland Festival of Photography group exhibition at DEMO Space June 6-12

Triangulated Agency and Co-authorship in a Photographic Practice paper presented at symposium: Agency and Aesthetics: A symposium on the expanded field of photography. Auckland Art Gallery April 1 2017.

rebecca.nunes@staffs.ac.uk

External profiles

ORCID