Ruth O’Leary

Ruth O’Leary is an Australian multidisciplinary artist whose work explores motherhood, sexuality and the changing female body. For over a decade, she has documented her own experiences of pregnancy, birth, child-rearing and ageing, using her body as both subject and material.

Working across photography, drawing, painted textiles and performance, O’Leary gives visibility to experiences and forms of care that have often been overlooked in art history. In her photographic practice, she uses analogue photo booths to create intimate, playful and sometimes confronting images that explore the complexities of being both a mother and a woman.

Her work has been exhibited at the Museum of Australian Photography, the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne Art Fair and Mary Cherry Contemporary, among others. In 2026, Vue Gallery presents her first European exhibition, The Birds and the Bees.