About Rosa
Rosa Mar has a post graduate degree in Fine Arts and is a creative collaborator and practicing artist living on the Mornington Peninsula
Her role outside of her arts practice often involves being a conduit between artist and institution/organisation; facilitating logistics, media and frameworks in support of artists and their work.
Rosa is an experienced PA, handling those important lists that are often unachievable to tick off, for local and international artists. This often includes media, meeting of VIP’s and co-ordinating travel.
Rosa also works as a Creative Mentor and runs a 6-week 1:1 online program called 'Live where you fear to live.' She has worked with various clients in the realms of Performing Arts, Law, Gender Identity, as well as providing a VIP Liaison service given her qualifications as a NAATI interpreter.
THE ARTIST - CREATIVE MENTOR - PEOPLE COLLECTOR - MAKER
Artistic process
'While personal experience is at the centre of her art practice, it is often through outward connections to community or site that her work unfolds. She consistently explores the tensions between material form and ephemeral light/shadow interplay and her work seamlessly crosses between the platforms of public art and personal professional practice. Subtle collaborations, impressions and triggers, chance meetings, synchronous moments, and often intimate conversations are crucial to understanding her work.'
Dr Sally Northfield Education Program Coordinator United Nations Association Australia (Victoria) Co-Manager Women’s Mural Documentation Project
“Rosa’s ability to decipher, interpret and reflect personal stories through symbol, pattern, motif, light and text define her art practice. As she explores and experiments with a variety of materials, whether steel, concrete, felt, or a subversive stitch or two, her stunning art-making practice, enacted consistently using light, photography, collage, cutting, textiles - is an invitation to (re)consider the community and environs of your site & project.”
Artistic outcomes
'Her CV will demonstrate created works which provide specific environments where she focuses on research, the production and the exhibition of cultural projects, especially those ones related to history, culture, community and their environment. She has been invited to present & exhibit works to celebrate the Women’s Art Register (WAR) 40 Year Celebration. This was quite the installation at the City Library. Rosa has been committed to meeting with manufacturers of materials in Australia so to develop a portfolio of eco-friendly materials that can be integrated into future commissions and site-specific art projects. A highly committed and resourceful artist in her art production as well as meeting timelines and architectural, structural and building guidelines. Whilst she demonstrates with ongoing independent exhibition program, she gives any new project the same dedication." (See images ‘El Pañuelo’ & Wyndham Public Art Commission.)'
David Fitzsimmons Creative Urban Places Program Lead I Arts Melbourne City of Melbourne
Birds & water
Rosa completed a 12 month Artist in residence (AIR) at Park Victoria's Coolart Wetlands. She exhibited works inside the Homestead and in the Minsmere Birdhide & Crake Birdhide in both May & November 2018.
The residency culminated in a day where the public were encouraged to discover the artwork in and around the Coolart Homestead and Wetlands property. The Maggie and Bird series were created in these surrounds and editions of these works are for sale. Rosa created a series of wall hangings and experimenting with range of materials such as carpet, velvet, and silk.
Collaborations in relation to the bird series to develop a range of textiles welcome.
Photo: Stan Fridlind
'Through a process of consultation, immersion and the gathering of local stories Rosa Mar Tato Ortega produces an artistic interpretation of the site. Her artistic approach is organic and unique, professional, whilst following processes and organisational guidelines. She invites the viewer to individually experience the work from a different perspective. It can be enlightening.'
Julie Ebbott President, Friends of Coolart
Awards. Residencies. Commissions.
She has been the recipient of several Artist-in-Residence grants:
A research grant in Shanghai through RMIT School of Art and ECNU Shanghai
A funded residency in various locations around Menzies Shire in remote Western Australia including month long artist in residence at NGV Studio in 2012 with 10 other women culminating in an exhibition for International Women's Day.
Rosa was also the recipient of the Australia Council for the Arts’ ArtStart Grant & the George Alexander Foundation Scholarship.
She has recently been awarded a commission to create a series of visual pieces that will be transposed and manufactured into the built environment of the new Flemington Community Hub.
Photo: NGV Studio Residency Curated by Deborah Ratcliffe & Rowena Martinich
2003 - 2020
Rosa has exhibited in solo and group exhibitions nationally and internationally and has received important public, private and site-specific commissions in her home state of Victoria, Australia.