Rita Duffy (born 1959) is a

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

artist, described in 2005 as the province's "foremost artist". She describes herself as a Republican,

pacifist Pacifism is the opposition to war or violence. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaigner Émile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress in Glasgow in 1901. A related term is ''a ...

and

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

. Her installations and projects often highlight socio-political issues and some of her work is in the permanent collections of the

Irish Museum of Modern Art The Irish Museum of Modern Art (), also known as IMMA, is Ireland's leading national institution for the collection and presentation of modern and contemporary art. It is located in Kilmainham, Dublin. History Irish art collector Gordon Lam ...

and the

Imperial War Museum The Imperial War Museum (IWM), currently branded "Imperial War Museums", is a British national museum. It is headquartered in London, with five branches in England. Founded as the Imperial War Museum in 1917, it was intended to record the civ ...

in London.

Background

Rita Duffy was born in Belfast in 1959 to a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

family and grew up during the Troubles of the 1970s, in the

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

neighbourhood of Stranmillis, Belfast. When at college she preferred socially engaged, figurative painting and, during her holidays, she lived in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

drawing street portraits.

Work

Duffy describes herself as a Republican, a nationalist, a

and a

. She uses irony, wit and humour to interrogate Irish history and politics. Her work is also influenced by

surrealism Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...

and magic realism. In 2005, Duffy came to wider attention for her proposal to tow an iceberg from Greenland to

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

, representing the city's links to the RMS ''Titanic'' and also highlighting the frosty impasse of Northern Irish politics. During

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry, is the second-largest City status in the United Kingdom, city in Northern Ireland, and the fifth-largest on the island of Ireland. Located in County Londonderry, the city now covers both banks of the River Fo ...

's year as

UK City of Culture UK City of Culture is a designation given to a local area (specifically a city before 2025) in the United Kingdom for a period of one calendar year, during which the successful bidder hosts cultural festivities through culture-led regeneratio ...

, Duffy ran the "Shirt Factory Project", employing four people. The project was part gallery, part museum and part shop. On 24 April 2016, the centenary of the

Easter Rising The Easter Rising (), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the aim of establishing an ind ...

to end

British rule in Ireland British colonial rule in Ireland built upon the 12th-century Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland on behalf of the English king and eventually spanned several centuries that involved British control of parts, or the entirety, of the island of Irel ...

, Duffy opened a show called "The Souvenir Shop" in a Georgian mansion in North Great George's Street, Dublin. The exhibition sought to examine Irish identity. Duffy's work can be found in several major public collections, including the Irish Museum of Modern Art and the Imperial War Museum in London. She works from her studio based in

Ballyconnell Ballyconnell () is a town in County Cavan, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is situated on the N87 road (Ireland), N87 national secondary road at the junction of four townlands: Annagh, County Cavan, Annagh, Cullyleenan, Doon (Tomregan) and Der ...

County Cavan County Cavan ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is based on the hi ...

, in the Irish Republic just south of the border with Northern Ireland.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duffy, Rita 1959 births 21st-century Irish artists Artists from Belfast Irish feminists Irish republicans Irish women artists Living people Members of the Royal Ulster Academy Women artists from Northern Ireland