Encompassing themes and images of Irish identity, history, and politics, Rita Duffy’s work is often both personal and autobiographical. In her work, she often pays homage to the language of magic realism. Duffy received her BA at the Art and Design Centre and her MA in Fine Art at the University of Ulster. She is an Honorary Member of the Royal Society of Ulster Architects (RSUA), and she was awarded the Gold Medal, Royal Ulster Academy of Arts in 2006. Her work can be found in many collections including; Arts Council of Northern Ireland; Ulster Museum, Belfast; Museum of Contemporary Art, Zagreb; The Drawing Museum, New York; and the Office of Public Works, Dublin. A member of Aosdána, Duffy has previously been Artist-in-Residence at Trinity Long Room Hub Arts and Humanities Institute (Trinity College Dublin) and held a Leverhulme Fellowship with the Transitional Justice Institute (Ulster University) to look at the role that visual art has in post-conflict societies.