Chris De Rosa lives in Kantjinwald / Port Elliot, unceded Ngarrindjeri / Ramindjeri land where, on most days, she dives into an aqueous world full of wonder. Her practice examines the conflicted physical and cultural relationships with our natural world through printmaking, installation, film and sculpture. The acts of exploring and reframing historical archives and collections is central to her practice, and looks at the ways dominant ideologies and public institutions shape our understanding of history, knowledge and the natural world. She photographs, preserves and documents both terrestrial and aquatic organisms that inhabit the coastline, and creates mementos of elements of the natural world that are often overlooked or unseen.
Chris has undertaken a number of research projects at the Natural History Museum, London, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dhorn, Naples, and the Victorian and South Australian Herbariums. In 2022, she exhibited a major installation, Seaweeding, at the Museum of Economic Botany, Adelaide Botanic Gardens. In 2018, she was the recipient of the Australian Print Workshop Artist-In-Residence and, in 2024, was invited to undertake a residency as part of their Nature: Collaborative Print project. Chris’ work is held in private and public collections nationwide, including the National Gallery of Australia, Art Gallery of South Australia, Print Council of Australia, Australian Print Workshop, Swan Hill Regional Art Gallery and Grafton Regional Gallery.
