معرفی
Dr Hazel Donkin is a Lecturer in the Department of History of Art at Durham University, specializing in Surrealism and photographic history. She teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses, including the MA in Visual Culture's MELA 45230 Critical Curatorship module. Her research focuses on Surrealist movements, with a current book project co-authored with Ian Walker on Frederick Sommer's photography (Routledge, 2025). She curates exhibitions at Durham Castle and served as Secretary for Art on the University College Senior Common Room Executive.
- Education: Postgraduate studies in Photography and French Surrealism at Northumbria University (2010)
Her research interests span Surrealism's intersections with politics, gender, and visual culture. Recent work explores post-war Surrealist journals and the interplay between poetry and politics in figures like André Breton and Vladimir Mayakovsky. She also examines photographic practices through case studies like Hans Bellmer and Frederick Sommer, analyzing themes of body politics and symbolic representation.
Her publications analyze institutional experiments in arts organizations (TESTT Space) and the theoretical underpinnings of Surrealist art. Awards include Durham University's Excellence in Teaching and Learning Award and Senior Fellowship at the Higher Education Academy.
- Supervision: Austin LaGrone (PhD)
Donkin actively engages with curatorial practice, organizing annual exhibitions such as Dan Holdsworth's 2023 show at Durham's Tunstall Gallery. She contributes to cultural initiatives like TESTT Space, emphasizing experimental approaches to art and institutional frameworks.