Anna Nunes graduated as an Ecologist and was awarded in 2018 by the Faculty of Resource Ecology at Wageningen University for her field research in the Boé-region in Guinea-Bissau, where she investigated forests protected by spiritual beliefs and traditional practices of the people inhabiting the surrounding area. The sacred forests project resulted in various series of expressive oil paintings portraying the daily life and people, from the communities that hosted her.

Nunes composes her paintings across multiple planes using wide shapes and bold colours. She typically uses a focal point such as clapping hands or an expressive gaze to pull her observation into focus and guide the viewer through the scene. That results in portraits of strong man and women, marked by life, though firmly grounded with a sense of resilience and determination. Portraits that transcend personal appearance and capture the naked being, paintings that express the sense of community, of mutual respect for one another, of collective wisdom and values, expressing the very personal connection Nunes experienced. Her art triggers curiosity about the hidden stories, questions what other communities could offer in the search for a more connected and balanced way of living, with each other and with the world around us.