Rita Duffy was born in 1959 in Belfast. She received a B.A. at the Art & Design Centre and a M.A. in Fine Art at the University of Ulster. She is one of Northern Ireland's groundbreaking artists who began her work concentrating primarily on the figurative/narrative tradition. Her art is often autobiographical, including themes and images of Irish identity, history and politics. Duffy’s work has grown and evolved but remains intensely personal with overtones of the surreal. Homage is paid to the language of magic realism and always there is exquisite crafting of materials.

She has initiated several major collaborative art projects and was made an Honorary Member of the R.S.U.A. for her developmental work within the built environment. Her work is increasingly shown in solo and group exhibitions around the world. She is an associate at Goldsmiths College, London working on an artistic exchange with Argentina and Northern Ireland. Her Belfast studio practice continues to develop and her public art projects are increasingly preoccupied with international themes. Currently she holds a Leverhulme Fellowship with the Transitional Justice Institute, looking at the role art has in post conflict societies. Duffy’s work is being increasingly collected at home and abroad with work in numerous public and private collections. To date she has achieved a long list of awards, "medals" and bursaries for her public and privately commissioned work.