The Author

Robyn Kelch – author and storyteller

I was born in 1965 in Wollongong, Australia, to German immigrants.

After studying at the Koblenz School of Corporate Management, including semesters abroad in Kingston, Canada, and Lyon, France, I initially pursued a career in business administration, working in financial management (Procter & Gamble, Breuninger) and management consulting (ABACUS), until I turned my passion for contemporary Indigenous Australian art into my profession.

In 2006, I founded the ARTKELCH gallery in Freiburg, followed in 2009 by the Collectors Lounge in Schorndorf (near Stuttgart) in the premises of my husband Matthias´s company kptec.

ARTKELCH was specialising in Contemporary Indigenous Fine Art from Australia and Papua New Guinea. The main focus was on acrylic paintings from the Central and Western Deserts as well as on bark paintings and sculptures from Arnhem Land.

The gallery gained recognition with ‚Pro Community‘, an annual exhibition series that presented Indigenous art from different regions of Australia at various locations in Germany, raising public awareness about art centers and ethical sourcing of contemporary Indigenous Australian art.

ARTKELCH was one of the leading galleries of its kind in Europe. From 2006 to 2021, I 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 Five Continents Munich, Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum Cologne, Kunstwerk | Klein Collection, Eberdingen-Nussdorf) and presented contemporary Indigenous art from Australia at numerous fairs for Contemporary Art (including Art Karlsruhe, Art Paris).

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

My contribution to documenting one of the most fascinating contemporary art movements of our time lies in storytelling. „You sell stories, not paintings“, my husband used to say. This is what I have in common with the art of Aboriginal people, as every single artwork tells its own, far more significant story.

My family and I acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their deep connections to lands, sea and community. We pay respect to their Elders past and present and extend this respect to all Indigenous peoples around the world.