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Ruby Waage Townsend (b.1996, Leicester, UK)  is an interdisciplinary artist, world-weaver, fairytale writer & schildermanneke (little painter man)

Working across painting, performance, installation, and myth, their practice treats painting as a performative act—one that conjures enchanted realism, unstable identities, and shifting power dynamics. Drawing on folklore, lived experience, and dark humour, Ruby creates immersive worlds where comedy and tragedy entwine, the beautiful brushes up against the grotesque, and fairytales are rewritten with prosthetic snouts and cabbage heads.

They are currently completing an MFA in Painting at The Slade School of Fine Art and graduated with a BA (Hons) Fine Art from De Montfort University in 2023. Ruby has undertaken residencies including AA2A at Loughborough University, Ilkeston Contemporary Arts, UK New Artists People, Place, Practice, and the CMR residency in Redruth, Cornwall.

Recent highlights include a commissioned portrait of Baroness Doreen Lawrence (2023) for De Montfort University. Their work is held in permanent and private collections including De Montfort University Board Room, Ilkeston Contemporary Arts, and Sir Peter Soulsby. They are a recipient of the Irving Wernick Scholarship and the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant.

Alongside their studio practice, Ruby delivers workshops, curates exhibitions, and produces site responsive and community led projects with organisations including Ilkeston Contemporary Arts, UK New Artists, Soft Touch Arts, and Pedestrian. They are a member of the Working Class Creatives Database and live and work in London, UK.