Art Of Travel – Artist Statement

Rebecca Tunks is an Australian-based photo artist who constructs intricate photomontages, meticulously reconstructing landscapes defined by human intervention into hyper-detailed visual narratives. Her practice involves careful observation and documentation of the ordinary yet emblematic details that subtly shape our surroundings. Through digital manipulation reminiscent of artists such as Andreas Gursky, she transforms commonplace elements like signs, architecture, and communities or local people into complex tableaux that invite exploration and contemplation.

Influenced by visual dialogues that interrogate contemporary civilisation, Tunks arranges photographic elements into layered compositions that capture both the diversity and interconnectedness of cultural identities across varied locations including India, Switzerland, Hong Kong, and Australia. Her work transforms everyday objects into significant cultural markers, revealing how seemingly mundane features can encapsulate complex global narratives of consumption, identity, and urbanisation. By doing so, she preserves ephemeral yet critical details of place and memory, highlighting the delicate tension between global uniformity and local distinctiveness.

Tunks’ compositions encourage viewers to pause, reflect, and deeply engage with their environments, highlighting the importance of attentiveness in an age marked by rapid change, digital overload, and homogenisation. Her work is a quiet yet powerful call to reconsider how we collectively shape and perceive the spaces we inhabit.