Kelly Ratchford

Using mixed media on canvas, wood, paper and ready-made boxes, Kelly Ratchford works to create ambiguous images that allude to experiences not necessarily comfortable, easy or tasteful. Her interest in these lonely and anxious states competes with an enthusiasm for colour, street art, humour and pictures drawn by young children. It is this tension and the challenge of using simple lines to create more layered images that provide the basis for her work.

Born in Toronto Canada, Kelly completed a BA Fine Art (Painting) at Wimbledon School of Art in 1998. She has been living and working in Dublin since 2005. Her work has been exhibited in group shows in London, Beijing, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and at art fairs in Toronto, Chicago, London and San Francisco. She is represented in Ireland by the Dublin-based Olivier Cornet Gallery and by the Jill George Gallery in London.

Check out The Covidians series of work created during Covid 19.

"Go and follow Kelly Ratchford, kelster747, over on Instagram. Her work is so good."
Cristín Leach, art critic and writer, Twitter, 12 April 2020
Art Education 
     
1998  BA Fine Art (Painting), Wimbledon School of Art, London, England
1995  Foundation in Art and Design, Kingsway College, London, England
1989  Master of Social Work, University of Toronto
1986  BA Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
Recent exhibitions

2026

God, Kinch, if you and I could only work together..., Bloomsday / Summer group show, Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin


2025


Memorandum , winter group show, Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin


Ode to Giants , group show, Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin.


' Out of Lines ', Bloomsday / Summer group exhibition, Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin.


'Art Evolve 2025', contemporary art fair at the RDS, with the Olivier Cornet Gallery.


2024


' Contrasts ', winter group show, Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin.


' Pink is my colour ', Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin.


2023


' My favourite artwork at the Olivier Cornet Gallery ', Olivier Cornet gallery, Dublin. 


1515 , group show, Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin


' Compendium ', winter group show, Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin.



2022


' Outrageous, Obscene and Offensive ', Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin.


' 2012 - 2022 A decade of exhibitions at the Olivier Cornet gallery ', Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin.


' Memento, Looking back, Looking forward ', Olivier Cornet Gallery Winter group show


2021


Less Jam, More Havoc , Revisiting the two-person show with Jaki Coffey, Olivier Cornet Gallery Dublin and online (July-August)


‘Summer show’, group exhibition with the Jill George Gallery at Coningsby, London, UK.


' Jam Havoc ', a two-person show with Jaki Coffey, Olivier Cornet Gallery Dublin (March-April, online only in our 3D Virtual Space )


' On Paper ', a winter group art show co-curated with Jackie Ryan.


2020

'Resurfacing', end of Summer group show, 6-28 August 2020

'The Morphing Feminine', Bloomsday group show, 16 June - 30 July 2020

‘Drawing on Don Quixote', Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin. Group show curated by Olivier Cornet and first presented at National Opera House (Oct 2019, Opera Festival Wexford), then at VUE Contemporary Art Fair (Nov 2019, RHA Dublin)
2019

Cycling through the rages(as artist and co-curator), Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin.
Toronto International Art Fair, Jill George Gallery.
'Between Perception and Reality', a group show on climate change curated by Olivier Cornet (first presented at VUE Art Fair RHA in November 2018), Olivier Cornet Gallery.
London Art Fair, Jill George Gallery.
2018

Toronto International Art Fair, Jill George Gallery.
'2°C', a group show on climate change curated by Olivier Cornet with the support of the EPA (first presented at VUE Art Fair RHA in November 2017), Olivier Cornet Gallery.
2017

VUE Art Fair, RHA Dublin, with Olivier Cornet Gallery.
NOA17, 21st National Open Art Exhibition, Bargehouse, Oxo Tower Wharf, London.
London Art Fair, Jill George Gallery.
‘Things are going to slide’, a two-person exhibition with Mark Doherty, Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin.
2016

‘Elevation’, group show presented at VUE 2016, Ireland’s National Contemporary Art Fair at the RHA, Dubin, with the Olivier Cornet Gallery.
'Republic', group show curated by Eoin Mac Lochlainn & Olivier Cornet, Olivier Cornet Gallery.
Toronto International Art Fair, Jill George GalleryNew Paragraph.
2015

'Hopscotch', winter group show, Olivier Cornet Gallery.
VUE 2015, National Contemporary Art Fair at the RHA, with the Olivier Cornet Gallery.
'5 Cavendish Row', summer group show curated by Olivier Cornet and Arran Henderson, Olivier Cornet Gallery.
'Salad Days', a two-person exhibition with Emily Mannion, Olivier Cornet Gallery
(painting Looking for Love, acquired by the OPW for the Irish State's art collection).
'A Terrible Beauty', travelling group show curated by the Olivier Cornet Gallery, Octagonal Room, City Assembly House Dublin.
2014

Group Show, Jill George Gallery at Coningsby Gallery, London.
Toronto International Art Fair, Jill George Gallery.
London Art Fair, Jill George Gallery.
2013

‘More Than This (Part 2)’, Mountmellick Gallery, Co. Laois, Ireland.
Toronto International Art Fair, Jill George Gallery.
Eigse Annual Open, Carlow Arts Festival, Ireland.
‘Outside In’, Fringe Arts Bath, England.
London Art Fair, Jill George Gallery, London, England.
2012

Group Exhibition, Jill George Gallery at Gallery 27, London, England.
Art Toronto, Jill George Gallery.
‘Annual Exhibition’, Royal Ulster Academy, Belfast.
artMRKT 2012, San Francisco, California.
‘Intimate Revolution’, Irish Wave 3, Siemens Art Space, Beijing.
‘Positions’, Wandesford Quay Gallery, Cork City, Ireland (review by Cristín Leach Hughes).
London Art Fair, Jill George Gallery, London, England.
2011

Art Toronto, Jill George Gallery.
Art Chicago, Jill George Gallery.
London Art Fair, Jill George Gallery.
2010

Toronto International Art Fair, Jill George Gallery.
Summer Show, Jill George Gallery, London, England.
Art Chicago, Jill George Gallery
London Art Fair, Jill George Gallery.
2009

‘Noughtie’, Lisburn, Northern Ireland.
Toronto International Art Fair, Jill George Gallery.
All City, Dublin, Ireland.
Art Chicago, Jill George Gallery.
Figure Show, Jill George Gallery, London England.
London Art Fair, Jill George Gallery.
‘Play for Today’, Armagh, Northern Ireland.

2008

‘Cabinet’, The Back Loft, Dublin, Ireland
‘Play for Today’, Cavan, Ireland.
VISIT Open Studios, Pallas, Dublin, Ireland.
‘Castle (Squared)’, Ardigallan Castle, Co. Dublin.
‘Untold’, Sassoon Gallery, London, England.
VISIT Open Studios, Pallas, Dublin, Ireland.