Rita Duffy

Rita Duffy is one of Ireland's groundbreaking artists, involving different communities in Ireland and all over the world, their history and narratives. She became famous with Thaw, an art project with environmental concerns aimed to bring an iceberg to Belfast (2004). The Shirt Factory Project, part of the celebrations of Derry as the first ever UK City of Culture (2013) was an extensive examination of women’s labour, through the reinvention of a former shirt factory. In 2016 Rita was invited to co-commemorate the Easter Rising which gave rise to The Souvenir Shop, a witty exploration of the lived experience of rebellion: historical, political and social events were reworked and presented to the viewer as irreverent thought- provoking everyday commodities. In 2019 Soften the Border, developed with a small cross-border knitting group at the centre of the Bellcoo/ Blacklion bridge, gave voice to the immediate local experience, attracting global media coverage. She is an Honorary Member of Royal Society of Architects for developmental work in the built environment and in 2018 was elected to Aosdana. In 2020 documentaries of her work were made by BBC and ARTE. Based in Ballyconnell Courthouse, she continues studio based practice and socially engaged art projects, exploring issues of female identity, history and increasingly environmental issues. Currently she holds a Visiting Artist Fellowship at Trinity College Dublin.