BIOGRAPHY

“Art has the power to open our eyes to new possibilities”

Biography

Born in Belfast in 1964, Deirdre Robb was educated at the University of Ulster, BA fine 1999 and Masters in 2001. Her studio practice has an interdisciplinary approach including photography, installations, sculpture and performance based practice. Her work is conceptually based which comments on political and cultural themes.

Robb’s artworks have been widely exhibited with shows in Ireland, UK, Italy, Holland, Germany, Kentucky, Michigan, Nashville, Ohio and Australia. She has also been awarded residencies in Louisville, Artopia & Water Tower, Italy in Pauda, Katoomba near Sydney and Tyrone Guthrie in Ireland.  Art festivals and programmes that she has been selected to participated in are ‘Passion for Freedom’ in London  ‘Free City ‘in Flint, USA, ‘Scenic World’ Sculpture exhibition in the Blue Mountains Rain Forest, The ‘Grasses’ project in Kentucky, Locally she has exhibited regularly in the International Belfast Festival at Queen’s, Eastside Arts Festival, Women’s Work Festival through Oh Yeah Music Centre and Mayhem Festival in Livestock performance art centre.

She creates permanent and temporary public artworks and socially engaged programmes such as the ‘Starlings’ ‘Urban Meadows’ & ‘Wall of Hope’ and the large-scale ‘Art in the Eastside’ programme which Robb managed from 2009 -2016 presenting artworks from local, national and International artists on billboards and outdoor temporary Installations.

Robb also curates exhibitions and programmes with a primary focus on excellence and challenge in photography considering it important to shine a light on global issues of profound concern and importance. As Creative Director of Belfast Exposed she has curated significant exhibitions with artists such as Magnum artist Antione D’Agata ‘Eleven Voices’, Paul Seawright ‘Beasts of Burden‘, Haley Morris- Cafferio ‘The Bully Pulpit’, Diane Lixenburg, ‘Imperial Courts’, Pulitzer Prize winner Cathal McNaughton ‘Rohingya’ with his document of the plight of the Rohingya people who were fleeing a deadly crackdown by Myanmar’s army. Yan Preston with her ‘Mother River,’ Noel Bowler ‘Above the Fold’ and Matthew Finn durational works. She is also co-curated Martin Parr’s ‘Ireland” on International tour which is due to be exhibited in Belfast Exposed in 2022.

Robb is a member of Flax Art Studios based in Belfast and is a founder member of Embrace Studios.  She is a member of the National Collage Society and the International Society of Collage artists. Robb was a founder and former Chairperson of Creative Exchange Artist Studios former Director of The Engine Room Gallery, The Hedge Gallery, New Belfast Community Arts Initiative, Community Arts partnership and the Northern Ireland Visual Arts Forum.