Punctum, Bendigo Venues & Events and La Trobe Art Institute artist in Residence, Ruth O’Leary, uses her body as both material and subject, documenting experiences typically excluded from institutional memory and archives.

Ruth’s residency concludes with a work-in-progress showing and will inform her solo exhibition ‘Mother’s in a Museum’ at Castlemaine Art Museum in 2027.

Ruth’s work-in-progress showing is part of Punctum’s 2026 Residency Program series where we gather to meet with, celebrate and share our love of adventurous regional artists and their work.

Ruth lives on Djaara Country central Victoria. She has exhibited in solo exhibitions (Mary Cherry Contemporary, Bus Projects, C3, TCB) and participated widely in group shows (MaPH, RMIT Gallery, ACCA) across Australia. She has completed residencies in Berlin, Germany and studied on exchange at Aalto University of Art and Design in Helsinki Finland. Her work this year will also feature in MOTHER, the NGV’s landmark exhibition exploring motherhood.