Gemma Anderson was born in Belfast in 1981 and now lives and works between London and Belfast. Anderson attended Falmouth College of Art (BA) and the Royal College of Art, London (MA).
Anderson's distinctive line drawings have evolved into life-size etchings which are drawn directly onto the plate and hand-painted upon afterwards in the studio. Etchings on this scale are rare and it is rarer still to find etchings drawn directly onto copper from life. Anderson's recent work draws on source material from the key collections held by the Natural History Museum, University College London and Kew Gardens. Anderson juxtaposes different species groups delicately interweaving them in intricate drawings through which she questions established taxonomies and systems of classification.
She has won several awards, including a five year residency at Acme Studios Fire Station in London, the RHA Thomas Dammann Award 2009, Arts Council Purchase Award 2009, Wellcome Trust Arts Award 2009, Man Group Drawing Prize Winner, and Royal College of Art 2007. Anderson has shown at venues around London, Cornwall and Belfast and been awarded residencies in Ireland, Japan, Venice, Belize and Nigeria. Anderson's work is held in the collection of the V&A Museum, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, The Wellcome Trust, University College Falmouth and the Braid Museum.