Anna Ruth sees belonging in terms of emotion rather than place: Belonging is a feeling that can be promoted through mutual effort. For her, art and visual culture are powerful ways of communicating emotions that can engender an experience of either belonging or exclusion.

In her works, Ruth explores the themes of belonging and displacement through plants and animals, investigating whether invasive species are a real threat, and for whom, and whether humans’ actions can be compared with those of plants. Though conceptual, minimalist and poetic, Ruth’s works often have realistic forms and figures. She is also intrigued by boundaries: what lies inside and outside of them, and why. Ruth finds it fascinating that humanity can decide which species belong to which part of the globe.

Anna Ruth (b. 1975, Connecticut) is a Canadian artist who lives and works in Jyväskylä. Her main mediums are painting and drawing. She paints on all kinds of surfaces, including walls and recycled paper, using also plants in her art. Alongside her creative work, Ruth has organised and curated exhibitions in unconventional places such as cowsheds, private homes and empty business premises. She is the curator of Mänttä Art Festival 2021.