BFA, MFA (Concordia); Art Ed. Dipl. (McGill)

Nell Tenhaaf is an electronic media artist and theoretician with extensive publication, lecture and exhibition credits across Canada, in the US and in Europe. Her practice focuses on the intersection of art, science and technology, using digital media to integrate elements from these different fields. She is represented in Toronto by Paul Petro Contemporary Art.

In 2005 Professor Tenhaaf was awarded a major grant through the New Media Initiative, jointly funded by the Canada Council and the National Science and Engineering Research Council, for a collaborative project with Professor Melanie Baljko in York’s Department of Computer Science. The Lo-fi project uses art and science to create interactive installations in which humans interact with artificial agents. The interactive sculptures Push/Pull (2009) and WinWin (2012) are outcomes of this ongoing project.

Professor Tenhaaf has published numerous reviews and articles that address the cultural implications of biotechnologies and of Artificial Life (an area of research that studies dynamics in nature through computational models as well as software or robotic agents with lifelike behaviours). She was a jury member for the Madrid-based Vida art and artificial life competition from its inception in 1997 until it wrapped up in 2014.

Professor Tenhaaf is cross-appointed to Digital Media and Visual Art & Art History. She has served as associate dean and as coordinator of the Digital Media Program in AMPD. Prior to joining York University in 1997, she taught at Concordia University, the University of Ottawa and Carnegie Mellon University.