Alicia Bruce is an Edinburgh-based photographer, lecturer and freelance educator.

Early life and education

Bruce was born in Aberdeen in 1979. She studied Photography, Film and Imaging at

Edinburgh Napier University Edinburgh Napier University () is a public university in Edinburgh, Scotland. Napier Technical College, the predecessor of the university, was founded in 1964, taking its name from 16th-century Scottish mathematician and philosopher John Napie ...

, graduating in 2006.

Career

Bruce's work focuses on the collaboration between artist and sitter in portrait photography. Her most recent projects have involved communities, such as ‘Menie: A portrait of a North East community in conflict’. Alongside her work as a practicing photographer, Bruce is a Teaching Fellow at Edinburgh College of Art and was previously a freelance educator at the

National Galleries of Scotland The National Galleries of Scotland (, sometimes also known as National Galleries Scotland) is the executive non-departmental public body that controls the three national galleries of Scotland and two partner galleries, forming one of the Nation ...

. She has worked on several commissions and campaigns, including those from:

Edinburgh World Heritage Edinburgh World Heritage (EWH) is an independent charity in Edinburgh, Scotland established in 1999. It is tasked with conserving, enhancing and promoting Edinburgh's World Heritage Site " Old and New Towns of Edinburgh", which was designated in ...

, NewsDirect,

Royal Scottish Academy The Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) is the country's national academy of art. It promotes contemporary art, contemporary Scottish art. The Academy was founded in 1826 by eleven artists meeting in Edinburgh. Originally named the Scottish Academy ...

University of St Andrews The University of St Andrews (, ; abbreviated as St And in post-nominals) is a public university in St Andrews, Scotland. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest of the four ancient universities of Scotland and, f ...

The European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it a ...

NHS The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...

V&A Dundee V&A Dundee is a design museum in Dundee, Scotland, which opened on 15 September 2018. The V&A Dundee is the first design museum in Scotland and the first Victoria and Albert museum outside London. The V&A Dundee is also the first building in the ...

. She won the

Morton Award in 2014.

Selected solo exhibitions

2018 ‘Violence Unseen’ Stills, Edinburgh, UK (Touring commission for Zero Tolerance) 2016 ‘Menie: TRUMPED’

St Andrews St Andrews (; ; , pronounced ʰʲɪʎˈrˠiː.ɪɲ is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fourth-largest settleme ...

Photography Festival, UK 2015 ‘The Sim Project’,

The Royal Scottish Academy The Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) is the country's national academy of art. It promotes contemporary Scottish art. The Academy was founded in 1826 by eleven artists meeting in Edinburgh. Originally named the Scottish Academy, it became the Ro ...

, Edinburgh, UK 2015 ‘Digging for Diamonds’, EU Buildings, Brussels, Belgium 2013 ‘Encore’

Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama The Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama () is a conservatoire located in Cardiff, Wales. It has three theatres: the Richard Burton Theatre, the Bute Theatre, and the Caird Studio. It also includes one concert hall, the Dora Stoutzker Hall, and ...

, Cardiff, ''Part of Diffusion Festival'' 2013 ‘Menie’

The Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament ( ; ) is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. It is located in the Holyrood, Edinburgh, Holyrood area of Edinburgh, and is frequently referred to by the metonym 'Holyrood'. ...

, Edinburgh, UK 2008 ‘Alicia Bruce: Artist in Residence’, Aberdeen Art Centre, Aberdeen, UK

Collections

Bruce's work is held at
MoCP ChicagoUniversity of St Andrews Photography Collection

Robert Mapplethorpe Robert Michael Mapplethorpe ( ; November 4, 1946 – March 9, 1989) was an American photographer, best known for his black-and-white photographs. His work featured an array of subjects, including celebrity portraits, male and female Nude (art), n ...

Photography Collection,

Ffotogallery Ffotogallery is the national development agency for photography in Wales. It was established in 1978 and since June 2019 has been based in Cathays, Cardiff. It also commissions touring exhibitions nationally and internationally. Its current dire ...

Dovecot Studios Dovecot Studios or Dovecot is a tapestry studio and arts venue in Edinburgh, Scotland. Dovecot Studios was established by the 4th Marquess of Bute in 1912, recruiting weavers from William Morris' workshops at Merton Abbey in London. The Mar ...

, Zero Tolerance, and various private collections.

Publications

*''Menie: Trumped''. Daylight books, 2023.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bruce, Alicia 1979 births English women photographers People from Aberdeen Alumni of Edinburgh Napier University Living people