Rita Duffy is one of Ireland's ground breaking socially engaged visual artists; initiating major collaborative art projects, a visiting lecturer at international universities, advocating for the arts with contributions to numerous publications and media engagements. She was made an Honorary Member of the Royal Society of Architects for developmental work in the built environment, and an associate at the Goldsmiths College London, collaborating on artistic exchange with Argentina and Chile looking at the role of art in post conflict societies. Duffy’s work is held in museum and private collections worldwide and her public art projects continue to grow in scale and ambition. In 2018 she was recognised for her contribution to visual arts in Ireland and elected to Aosdana, Irelands elected ‘people of the arts’. In 2024 she was awarded the Charlotte Makexe/Mary Robinson Chair of Research at the University of the Western Cape, and more recently she completed an extensive lecture tour and research in Mexico, Brazil and Argentina as the inaugural Irish visiting professor to Latin America. The Border Biennale, an ongoing project concerned with borders and social division had its second iteration in 2025, it continues to grow in scope and global reach. 

Photo: courtesy of Rita Duffy