The Author

Robyn Kelch

Robyn Kelch, born in 1964, was born in Wollongong, Australia, to German immigrants.

After studying at the Koblenz University of Applied Sciences for Business Administration, including semesters abroad in Kingston, Canada, and Lyon, France, she initially pursued a career in business administration, working in financial management (Procter & Gamble, Breuninger) and management consulting (ABACUS), until she turned her passion for contemporary Indigenous Australian art into her profession.

In 2006, she founded the ARTKELCH gallery in Freiburg, followed in 2009 by the Collectors Lounge in Schorndorf (near Stuttgart). The gallery gained recognition with Pro Community, an annual exhibition series that presented Indigenous art from a different region of Australia at various locations in Germany, raising public awareness about art centers and the ethical implications of contemporary Indigenous Australian art.

From 2006 to 2021, the author curated over 100 Aboriginal art exhibitions – in addition to several exhibitions on art from Papua New Guinea – including 13 in German museums (Grassi Museum Leipzig, Museum Fünf Kontinente München, Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum Köln, Kunstwerk | Sammlung Klein, Eberdingen Nussdorf) and presented contemporary indigenous art from Australia at numerous fairs (including Art Karlsruhe, Art Paris).

During her time as a gallery owner, Robyn Kelch gave over 500 lectures and published 20 catalogues, a few of which are still available free of charge to museums upon request.