{"id":10219,"date":"2022-10-03T17:52:53","date_gmt":"2022-10-03T15:52:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.artificialis.eu\/?page_id=10219"},"modified":"2022-10-03T18:06:14","modified_gmt":"2022-10-03T16:06:14","slug":"cristina-nunez","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.artificialis.eu\/?page_id=10219","title":{"rendered":"Cristina Nu\u00f1ez"},"content":{"rendered":"

Born in 1962 in Spain, Cristina Nu\u00f1ez worked as model in her youth. After having overcome her drug addiction, she lived with her partner, a photographer, in Italy. Inspired by his work, she started in 1988 to make self-portraits. In the beginning, it was a kind of self-therapy to surmount her negative self-esteem in moments of crisis. In doing so, she explored and stimulated her creative identity. During the pregnancy with her first child, her restlessness diminished, so that she was able to take pictures of other persons. This work lead to her first photographic project \u201cBody and Soul<\/span><\/a>\u201d in 1994, where she took pictures of people lying naked on her bed. In 1995, the series was awarded by the Marangoni Foundation in Florence and exhibited there.<\/p>\n

Also in 1995, Cristina completed her project \u201cTo Hell and Back<\/a><\/span>\u201d, where she juxtaposed portraits of Jewish survivors of the Holocaust and pictures of concentration camps. As exhibition, the photos were shown in several cities in Italy and in Spain and Portugal. Moreover, they were published in a book of the same name in Italy. The following project was \u201cHeaven on Earth<\/a><\/span>\u201d, a journey through European spirituality. For this purpose, the artist photographed worshippers and their environment from the three main monotheistic religions in Europe from 1996 to 1998. She visited the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, Christian Orthodox nuns in Romania, Catholics in Southern Ireland, Muslims in Bosnia and Lubabitsch Jews in Italy. Granted by the Ministry of Culture of Luxembourg in 1996, the series was exhibited at the Biennale of Skopelos<\/a><\/span> in Greece, in 2001.<\/p>\n

Besides these projects, Cristina continued her self-portraits. Additionally, she took double-portraits with her daughter to analyse their relationship. In 2007, she started to focus on her family and their history. She made diptychs and triptychs with her self-portraits and photos of her ancestors. Herein, the exploration of her relationship to her in 1998 deceased father was important. Moreover, she accompanied her mother during her last years with dementia. Photography became an essential media of communication between the two women and lead to self-portraits made by her mother, which were also integrated in the artist\u2019s oeuvre.<\/p>\n

Many of these private autobiographic works became public under the title \u201cSomeone to Love<\/a><\/span>\u201d in 2011. A film, where Cristina recounts her history is also part of the project. The photo \u201cSomeone to Love \u2013 Edith Piaf\u201d from 2009 is our artwork of the month in October 2022<\/a><\/span>. This lamentation is also a homage to the French singer. The ensemble was first presented in Montreal. Later, the exhibition went to several cities in Europe.<\/p>\n

Feeling the positive effect of expressing her emotional states in front of a camera, Cristina shared the experience of therapeutic photography with others. Under the title \u201cThe Self-Portrait Experience<\/a><\/span>\u201d (SPEX), she started in 2004 to give workshops in various institutions around the world. Her intended audience are adolescents, prisoners, elderly and sick people, persons recovered from addiction, hence, people in research of their identity. Therefore, she also gives workshops during leadership or corporate trainings. Additionally, individuals like artists, photographers, therapists, leaders, university students and the general public are invited to learn her unique self-portrait method.<\/p>\n

Besides photography, Cristina made several films. One example is the ongoing project \u201cLa Vie en Rose<\/a><\/span>\u201d. With the purpose to find the ideal partner, the artist reveals her defects and weaknesses. Once again, it is an autobiographic project and a therapeutic research. She films public actions and performances to publish them on a web platform. Here the visitors, both men and women are invited to participate.<\/p>\n

Moreover, Cristina published several personal photobooks and contributed to others. Since 1995, she had many solo exhibitions all over Europe and participated in numerous group shows. Her work was granted by many international institutions and is presented in several collections all over Europe. In 2020, she obtained a PhD by Published Works on her practice and SPEX at the College of Arts and Humanities<\/a><\/span>, University of Derby, UK.<\/p>\n

Cristina lives and works in France.<\/p>\n

www.cristinanunez.com<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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Artwork of the Month \/ October 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n