In the Shadows
The Wilderness Gallery
Cradle Mountain
May-August 2020
'This exhibition Donna Ritchie displays an artistic storyboard created over a three year period which outlines her ideas and art practice development. It follows on from her exhibition at Salamanca Arts Centre, Beastly Careless, in 2018.
Using monster creations, Donna forms a partly autobiographical depiction of movement from Hobart to Cradle Mountain. Exploring the processes of migration, displacement and discovery entwined with the search for belonging and home she invites us to follow the journey of allegorical monsters and their stories.
Using a mixture of fabric models, large scale photography, mapping, ceramics, storytelling and mosaics, we are given a glimpse into what inspires the imagination of Donna and how she uses the world around her to create.'
Photo credits : Jessica King
Itsy Bitsy
Teeny Weeny
Micro Mosaics
The Lightbox Gallery
Salamanca Arts Centre
November 2020
Italian glass and gold leaf smalti. Ceramic base.
Each piece roughly 4 cm.
The pieces of mosaic are sometimes as small as a splinter, less than 1 mm.
Thanks to Arts Tasmania and the Tasmanian Government for the Artsbridge and Individual Arts grant which has allowed funds for travel to learn at The Mosaic School in Ravenna, Italy in 2019, and studio time to learn and practice traditional mosaic techniques.
stuffstuffingstuff
Moonah Arts Centre
Avago Space
2019
An exploration into the hoarding/archiving process and how to create balance between making and collecting.
Moonah Arts Centre
Avago Space
2019
An exploration into the hoarding/archiving process and how to create balance between making and collecting.
The Processing Plant
Salamanca Arts Centre
The Lightbox Gallery
2018 - 2019
Beastly Careless
Top Gallery
Salamanca Arts Centre
May 2018
In this immersive exhibition I explored the process of migration, displacement and discovery entwined with the search for belonging and home.
Through these monster creations I formed a partly autobiographical depiction of movement through various locations familiar to Tasmanians, and some less so. We trace the journey of these allegorical monsters and their eternal search for the “right spot” – a place of belonging. From South Hobart, all the way to Cradle Mountain, the search and engagement with various locations are explored.
Using a mixture of models, large scale photography, and mixed media, we are given a glimpse into the imaginary journeys of the monster, Martha and her family, exploring migration, movement, disruption and location, themes that are universal to us all.
The Night Gobblers
Salamanca Arts Centre
The Lightbox Gallery
June 2018
This installation explored how we illuminate the dark constantly. And at what cost.
Words by Chris Hall.
Salamanca Arts Centre
The Lightbox Gallery
June 2018
This installation explored how we illuminate the dark constantly. And at what cost.
Words by Chris Hall.
You've no need to light a night-light,
On a light night like tonight,
For a night-lights light's a slight light,
And tonight's a night that's light.
When a night's light, like tonight's light,
It is really not quite right,
To light night-lights with their slight lights,
On a light night like tonight.
Installation detail.
The Discovery Dot Project
The Discovery Illara Preschool
Glenorchy
12 metres x 1.2 metres
2017
A project I designed for the The Illara Preschool, including the community of Glenorchy such as involvement from The Migrant Centre and Glenview Nursing Home. The community were wholly responsible in the making of the mural (under direction from myself).
Project detail
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Keeping an eye on the pie in the sky
Italian Smalti, locally found stone from Mittagong and Tasmania, slate and pyrite.
18 cm x 23 cm
Jan 2018
Paradise Lost
Salamanca Arts Centre
Long Gallery
Part of The National Mosaic Exhibition
28 cm x 13 cm
2017
Paradise Lost
Made in China (Cash Cow)
Salamanca Arts Centre
The Lightbox Gallery
2016
A response to the sale of Tasmania's largest dairy farm.
Cash Cow. Part of Made in China (above)
The Pacific Specific
Salamanca Arts Centre
The Lightbox Gallery
2017
This installation explored the water level consequences of climate change, looking in detail to the pacific islands, including Tasmania.
Salamanca Arts Centre
The Lightbox Gallery
2017
This installation explored the water level consequences of climate change, looking in detail to the pacific islands, including Tasmania.
Installation detail.
Interchange(able)
Salamanca Arts Centre
The Lightbox Gallery
2015
This installation looked at the complex Interchanges that we have on the planet.
Traffic is a constant. It fills cracks and crevices, runs freely over plains and deserts and flows over water. It never stops. There may be some untouched pockets on the planet where road traffic doesn’t penetrate the land….. But for how long?
An Interchange is a road junction that allows traffic to (hopefully) free flow without disruption from one road going one direction to another road going another direction. Exploring the Interchanges, the complex patterns and their purposes, their successes and their longevity is the basis for this light installation. By addressing the underlying necessity to change our behaviour and attitude towards fuel, planet resources, urban sprawl, and so on, I highlighted that we need some structure in able to make a platform for change.
Traffic Interchanges spin the traffic round and round and round so much so that it is hard to find your bearings, hard to work out the basics such as North East South and West. But eventually (again hopefully!) you end up on the right track. This is what we need to do… we need to go off track to get back on track.
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The Tipping Point
Glenorchy Resource Art Trail
A commission that comments on how we're fastly approaching the Tipping Point with regards to climate change. Focusing on the melting glaciers and pacific islands.
2017
Glenorchy Resource Art Trail
A commission that comments on how we're fastly approaching the Tipping Point with regards to climate change. Focusing on the melting glaciers and pacific islands.
2017
The Tipping Point. A commission that comments on how we're fastly approching the Tipping Point with regards to climate change. Focusing on the melting glaciers and pacific islands
The Salvo's Connecting Dot Project
A one day drop in mosaic workshop for The Salvation Army in New Norfolk.
2.4 x 1.2 metres
Blind Spot
Salamanca Arts Centre
The Lightbox Gallery
2015
Our most common driving ‘blind spot’ is commonly over our right-hand shoulder with our head at 90' from the front. We need to check this space just in case someone is lurking there trying to overtake us in the fast lane.
This installation drew attention to a more large scale ‘blind spot’ that we're all affected by - where many can’t ‘see’ that countries driving in the fast lane may not be able to last the distance. It seems the behaviour of certain leaders is to lurk and make decisions in the shadows with many blindly following in the shade. The blind leading the blind?
eye say
eye say
I say
no more
eye eye
captain
Fish Rider Broken ceramic, acrylic, mirror 30 cm |
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Blood at First Site
Gallery 107
Redfern Sydney
2015
3rd prize at The National Exhibition for MAANZ
I started working as a gallery attendant at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) in 2013.
My first ‘sitting’ was in a new gallery called “parrawa parrawa Go Away”. This gallery is situated in a historical building called The Bond Stores, built in 1824.
‘parrawa’ tells the story of the period after the colonisation of Tasmania known as The Black Wars.
Using dust from the building, earth from the site, convict bricks and a representation of the first Tasmanians - my intention is to show that most living in Tasmania during this period were victims of 'The Empire'
Blood At First Site
2015 August, Sydney
Mosaic Association of Australian and New Zealand (MAANZ),
Winner 3rd Prize (Judges Emma Biggs and George Raftopolis) National Exhibition
Shallow Nectar
The Art Trail
Birch's Bay
2014
A piece commenting on the oil industry.
Shallow Nectar
Flight of the VSO
MAANZ State exhibition
2014
Highly commended award
A mapping of my daily routine of where I work as a Gallery Attendant at The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery.
Burnt Rubber
Salamanca Arts Centre
Sidespace Gallery
May 2013
The mixed media exhibition 'Burnt Rubber' explored social behaviour and the consequences of greed.
The use of matchbox cars emphasises the 'play' involved in our human existence - when this becomes a 'power play' it has the ability to become an unsustainable process where irreversible damage can happen.
Overflow
Burnout 1,2,3...
In the red...
Breaking the code
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Hovering Blue 
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Hovering Red 
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Bank Holiday Monday
Truckers....
The Rat Racing Series
Reaching for a Higher Power
Promoted
The Race
The Crash
Dumped
Untitled
Promoted
The Race
The Crash
Dumped
Untitled
Two Toy Boats sail into Hobart Harbour
Salamanca Arts Centre
The Long Gallery
2012
A work commenting on the Sydney to Hobart yacht race.
Two toy boats sail into Hobart Harbour
Power Trip
The inspiration for this piece came from sitting in a cafe in Hobart with friends. I was inspired by the tangled mess of light bulbs and wire above that I decided to make a mosaic of what I saw. As this is an election year, I titled the piece Power Trip, with the idea that someone will trip up in the lead up to the election. I believe though, that in order to succeed a few trips need to take place as these are our best learning curves, as long as we brush ourselves off and move forward.
Power Trip
Power Trip
The Tram-shed Commission, Bath, UK. A joint project with Anita Andrews.
Geisha's Robe
2003
