Sara Oscar

Dr. Sara Oscar is a Senior Lecturer in Visual Communication at the University of Technology Sydney's Faculty of Design and Society. She serves as Responsible Academic Officer for Plagiarism (since May 2018) and Ethics Committee Member (since June 2019) in the School of Design. Her work bridges academic scholarship with creative practice in visual arts, focusing on how images shape historical memory and contemporary discourse.

Her educational background includes:

• Doctor of Philosophy (Visual Arts) from the University of Sydney (2008)

Oscar's research centers on photography and moving image practices that explore the archive as a starting point for creative work. She employs strategies of appropriation and digital collage to examine how visual culture mediates our understanding of the past and present. Recent work increasingly addresses the implications of AI and deepfake technologies on visual representation, identity formation, and spectatorship. Her scholarship demonstrates sophisticated engagement with feminist film theory, particularly Laura Mulvey's concepts of the 'male gaze' and 'curious spectatorship,' applied to contemporary digital contexts.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a consistent trajectory exploring visual representation through multiple lenses: historical, technological, and theoretical. Her work demonstrates growing engagement with digital technologies' impact on visual culture while maintaining connections to foundational questions about photography's ontology and politics. She has created significant exhibitions including 'From Here to Eternity' (2015) at the Centre for Contemporary Photography and 'Dress Code: The World's Longest Bar' (2013) at the Palimpsest Biennial.

Her notable recognition includes:

• John and Margaret Baker Fellowship, National Photography Prize (2022)

Dr. Oscar is available for Masters Research and PhD student supervision, teaching courses including Critical Approaches to Visual Culture, Research Through Design, Photography and Memory, and Narrative, Form and Time. She is an active member of the Faculty Visualisation Institute (VI) Research Network. Her media contributions address contemporary visual culture issues, including analyses of deepfakes, AI art, and social media censorship of women's bodies as seen in her widely discussed commentary on Instagram's removal of her childhood photos.

Her creative practice extends into prominent public exhibitions including 'Under the Sun: Reimagining Max Dupain's Sunbaker' at the State Library NSW and Monash Gallery of Art, and 'An Elegy to Apertures' at the Centre for Contemporary Photography in Melbourne. Her work is held in numerous public and private collections.