Ronan Donnachie recently graduated with a fine art photography degree from Glasgow School of Art and has won a residency at the 2026 Venice Biennale, where he will work alongside 2016 Turner Prize winner Lubaina Himid.
The former Inverclyde Academy pupil, who grew up in Larkfield and was a promising young footballer, will now spend a month at the British Pavilion supporting Himid’s ‘Predicting History: Testing Translation’.
Speaking to the Tele, the 27-year-old revealed how the loss of a childhood friend had inspired him to make a life-changing decision to study photography and art.
Ronan Donnachie (Image: George Munro)
Now he draws on his heritage in Greenock and in the West Indies, with his grandparents having come to the United Kingdom as part of the Windrush generation, to inspire his work.
Ronan, who lives in Lynedoch Street with his parents, said: “I am so excited and over the moon to be going to Venice.
“It is an incredible opportunity for a boy from Greenock.
“To be part of Lubaina Himid’s exhibition is honestly a dream come true. I have to pinch myself. I just hope that my story can inspire other young people in the town.
“You can achieve your dreams, never give up.
“I was working in routine jobs and I had other jobs when one of my close mates passed away in 2019. It made me realise how short life was and what I wanted to do with it.
“I had played football to a high level when I was younger but it hadn’t worked out.”
Ronan always had a passion for photography and art, so he decided to follow his dream, studying photography at West College Scotland before securing a place at Glasgow School of Art.
He added: “I loved art at Ravenscraig Primary. It was always encouraged there with Mrs Lind.
“Glasgow School of Art was just the most brilliant place to be.”
Throughout his life both Ronan and his older brother Aidan, 30, have been deeply influenced by their hard-working parents, Stuart, 61, a care worker, and their mum Roz, 60, who works at Craigmarloch School, and by their diverse roots.
Roz grew up in High Wycombe, the daughter of Paulis, who cleaned buses when he first arrived in the UK, and Cecilia, who came from St Vincent as part of the Windrush generation that helped Britain rebuild after the Second World War.
Ronan said: “It must have been incredibly hard for my grandparents coming to start over.
“As a family we went to St Vincent to see it for ourselves.
“It was very emotional.”
While there he found a winch in the port of Bequia which was made by Caird of Greenock, a symbol of the links Inverclyde has with the islands that go all the way back to the transatlantic slave trade.
Through his creative journey Ronan is exploring the history of the slave trade, its links to home and how to build a better future.
That has drawn him to the work of Lubaina Himid, who has broken down barriers using her art over the last three decades.
After a rigorous interview process Ronan, who has his own studio in Glasgow, was chosen as one of 60 fellows from across Britain to take up a month’s residency in Venice while developing their own projects.
His research for the fellowship involves drawing on experiences in Venice, Greenock and the Caribbean island of St Vincent to celebrate diversity and the positive impact it can have.
Ronan said: “My mum and dad are so proud of both me and my brother, who is now in film production.
“We had a brilliant time growing up and were always encouraged.”
Having graduated from Glasgow School of Art, Ronan is now looking to build on his experiences and hopes to play an active role in his own community.
He said: “I am really keen to get involved in projects in Inverclyde. There is so much happening here.
“It is a great place for art right now.”