She focuses on the "absurdities and concerns of contemporary popular culture," which she chooses to show through objects, video, sound and performance works.
[1] Venis taught 'Music Making' night classes in the 1980s[2] and has made musical instruments since 2001.
[3] She is currently Professor of Creative Studies[4] in the School of Design at Otago Polytechnic, and she teaches in undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.
[1] Venis describes her work as "crafted assemblage" and creates musical instruments from reworked scrap and rubbish materials.
Her work references the Japanese art of Chindogu - objects freed from the chains of usefulness.