Nicola Foster

Nicola Foster is Associate Professor in Visual Arts at the University of Suffolk's School of Business, Arts, Social Sciences and Technology, appointed in October 2022 to develop the PhD programme in creative practices with emphasis on practice-based research. An interdisciplinary scholar bridging continental philosophy, art practice, museum studies, and international relations, she pioneered practice-based research frameworks in the UK and supervises doctoral candidates across institutions including University of the Arts London and Cardiff University.

Her research interrogates cultural value construction through visual works and curatorial practices within gender, race, and postcolonial contexts, examining how art institutions, funders, and markets materialize global visual discourse. Foster's philosophical approach focuses on enacting creative practices that challenge existing values toward egalitarian societal models, with particular expertise in Chinese contemporary art, Nushu script, and exhibition restaging methodologies.

Foster actively supervises diverse doctoral projects spanning video memoir reconstruction, Balkan identity fragmentation through animation, Sharjah Biennials' cultural politics, and surrealism's digital evolution. As AHRC College Peer Review member since 2007 and former Association for Art History Trustee (2011-2017), she shapes national research agendas while serving on editorial boards including the European Journal of Artistic Research and University Art Collection panels. Her international collaborations span curatorial projects, conference organization, and critical heritage studies across Europe and Asia.