Gail Ritchie Biography
I am a professional visual artist and researcher based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. I was born in Newtownards, County Down in 1966 and I studied art and design at Ulster University (BA Hons. 1991) and at Queen’s University (MA Arts Management 2013). In 2022 I was awarded a PhD in International Relations from Queen’s University Belfast for practice-based research into how the Northern Ireland Troubles might be commemorated in material form. I have been a studio holder of Queen Street Studios (QSS) since 2003 and have served both as a Board Member and Chair. During this time I led fundraising efforts which enabled the group to relocate twice to improved premises. From 1995 to 2003 I lived in the Republic of Ireland where I was a member of Backwater Artists Group Cork.
Rewards received to date include Arts Council Ireland, Arts Council Northern Ireland, Cultural Relations Committee, the British Council and the Arts and Humanities Research Council. I received the Basil Chubb Award from the Political Studies Association of Ireland for my practice-based thesis The im/material monument.
My work is in private and public collections throughout Ireland including National Museums Northern Ireland, Arts Council Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Government Collection and the Crawford Municipal Art Gallery Cork. I have undertaken residencies at the Irish Cultural Centre Paris, Rooftop Studios Berlin, Ulster Museum Collections Department and British School of Archaeology Ankara and I have spoken about my work at symposia and conferences in London, Edinburgh and Belfast. Most recently, I was one of four international artists selected for the Art Of Remembrance project which takes place across four European museums in 2026.
I continue to work from my studio in East Belfast (QSS Gallery and Studios) focusing on mixed-media installations which includes speculative research into time, memory and memorials. Currently I am researching the themes of time, technology, conflict and memory as part of the Art of Remembrance project at La Coupole Centre for History and Remembrance in Northern France. In September 2025 I received the Major Individual Artist Award from the Arts Council Northern Ireland.
I am a professional visual artist and researcher based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. I was born in Newtownards, County Down in 1966 and I studied art and design at Ulster University (BA Hons. 1991) and at Queen’s University (MA Arts Management 2013). In 2022 I was awarded a PhD in International Relations from Queen’s University Belfast for practice-based research into how the Northern Ireland Troubles might be commemorated in material form. I have been a studio holder of Queen Street Studios (QSS) since 2003 and have served both as a Board Member and Chair. During this time I led fundraising efforts which enabled the group to relocate twice to improved premises. From 1995 to 2003 I lived in the Republic of Ireland where I was a member of Backwater Artists Group Cork.
Rewards received to date include Arts Council Ireland, Arts Council Northern Ireland, Cultural Relations Committee, the British Council and the Arts and Humanities Research Council. I received the Basil Chubb Award from the Political Studies Association of Ireland for my practice-based thesis The im/material monument.
My work is in private and public collections throughout Ireland including National Museums Northern Ireland, Arts Council Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Government Collection and the Crawford Municipal Art Gallery Cork. I have undertaken residencies at the Irish Cultural Centre Paris, Rooftop Studios Berlin, Ulster Museum Collections Department and British School of Archaeology Ankara and I have spoken about my work at symposia and conferences in London, Edinburgh and Belfast. Most recently, I was one of four international artists selected for the Art Of Remembrance project which takes place across four European museums in 2026.
I continue to work from my studio in East Belfast (QSS Gallery and Studios) focusing on mixed-media installations which includes speculative research into time, memory and memorials. Currently I am researching the themes of time, technology, conflict and memory as part of the Art of Remembrance project at La Coupole Centre for History and Remembrance in Northern France. In September 2025 I received the Major Individual Artist Award from the Arts Council Northern Ireland.