ROSA MAR
SPANISH AUSTRALIAN VISUAL ARTIST I PUBLIC ART & PLACEMAKING I ARTISTIC DIRECTOR/FOUNDER OF CURRENTS OF PRACTICE
ABOUT
MEET ROSA
Rosa Mar Tato Ortega is a Spanish–Australian visual artist, curator and creative collaborator based on the Mornington Peninsula. With a postgraduate degree in Fine Art from RMIT and a multilingual perspective, her practice moves across public art, site-responsive outcomes, curatorial frameworks and collaborative projects grounded in place, ecology and community engagement.
Her work has led to significant public art outcomes across Victoria, Australia, developed through consultation, material research and long-term collaboration with communities, architects, fabricators and cultural organisations. Across both large-scale commissions and intimate works, her practice explores pattern, light, memory, thresholds and spatial connection.
Rosa is the founder and curator of Currents of Practice, an evolving Australian platform of exhibitions, conversations and public programs aligned with the Ramsar Convention’s World Wetlands Day. Presented across wetlands and ecologically significant sites, the project brings together artists, environmental contexts and public dialogue around changing annual themes connected to wetlands, waterways and cultural exchange.
At the heart of Rosa’s practice is deep listening. Her projects unfold through dialogue, observation and immersive research, weaving together narratives of place, ecology, migration, memory and environment. Across both artistic and curatorial practice, she is driven by the creation of encounters that invite reflection, connection and new ways of seeing.
Photo Credit: Bri Horne
Currents of Practice 2025 Exhibition & Conversations Publication
The Currents of Practice 2025 e-book and paperback publication are published.
This inaugural edition documents the artists, reflections and ecological conversations shaped through last year’s World Wetlands Day program at Coolart Wetlands. Follow the link for more information or to purchase a copy.
STAY TUNED FOR THE 2027 WORLD WETLANDS DAY EXHIBITION & PUBLIC PROGRAM
STAY TUNED FOR THE 2027 WORLD WETLANDS DAY EXHIBITION & PUBLIC PROGRAM
Currents of Practice is an evolving arts and ecology platform aligned with World Wetlands Day, unfolding across exhibitions, conversations and public engagement centred around wetlands, waterways and environmental connection.
Founded and curated by Rosa Mar Tato Ortega, the project has now been presented across two consecutive years, bringing together artists, writers, performers, environmental voices, community participants and site-responsive outcomes across the Mornington Peninsula.
Each annual program culminates around World Wetlands Day on February 2, responding to the Ramsar Convention’s changing international themes while continuing to expand through new sites, collaborations and ecological contexts.
Thank you to the many artists, venues, volunteers, community participants, supporters, stakeholders and funding bodies who continue to contribute to the evolution of Currents of Practice.
Stay tuned. New conversations, locations and collaborations are currently in development.
Follow @currents.of.practice and explore the dedicated COP pages throughout this website.
Jika Jika
Community Centre Public Art Commsion
‘De-Fence Against Loneliness’
Defence Against Loneliness is a public art commission developed for Jika Jika Community Centre in Northcote, supported through community and public funding committed to strengthening shared civic space. Comprising a series of functional art elements, the project emerged through consultation, dialogue, and deep listening, exploring how public art can foster connection, inclusion, and belonging. The space continues to be actively used each day through Jika Jika’s ongoing programs, gatherings, food support initiatives, workshops, and community-led activities, reinforcing the importance of the “third place” within contemporary urban life.
Public art that turns barriers into gateways for community life.
Reimagining fences as places of identity, welcome, and shared stories.
De-Fence Against Loneliness is a site-responsive public artwork commissioned by Jika Jika Community Centre and funded by the Victorian Government’s Living Local Suburban Development program.
The project reimagined a high, exclusionary fence as a welcoming threshold, transforming a quiet residential intersection into a vibrant, communal space.
Functional elements include a sculptural, laser-cut street library; layered gateways and thresholds that encourage movement and gathering; and interpretive signage embedded with historical motifs. Light, shadow, and materiality animate the space—inviting people to pause, play, and engage.
What makes this project truly remarkable is its social impact.
We’ve seen a noticeable increase in visitors and diversity of use: families, children, older residents, and newcomers now feel this is a place for them. Events have begun to spill into the outdoor areas. The project has changed how the neighbourhood sees us—and how we see ourselves. “We used to be hidden behind a fence—now people stop, connect, and feel welcome. The artwork has become part of our identity, De-Fence Against Loneliness demonstrates that thoughtful, well-executed public a a community drive public art project can change not just a space, but the life of a community.’
Susan Rennie - Manager
CREATIVE CONSULTING, REACTIVATING & MARKETING
'Live where you fear to live' is an artist & small business support program all about empowering & supporting artists become storytellers and attracting opportunities.
The ultimate aim is to establish a satisfying and financially sustainable arts practice and business.
