About Ava Roth
Ava Roth is a Canadian encaustic painter, embroiderer and mixed media artist. Reverence for landscape and the natural world are at the heart of her work. Roth’s creative practice is fundamentally responsive and relational. Over the past decade, Roth has engaged in an interspecies collaboration with thousands of local Ontario honeybees. In this collection, Roth combines her human handiwork with the remarkable artistry of wild honeycomb. Drawing on a rich history of craft making such as embroidery, weaving, beading and collage, Roth creates two and three dimensional work out of largely organic materials, which are assembled in her studio. Each piece is then slipped into hives where thousands of honey bees add their own unique and unpredictable dimension and architecture. When extracted, the composite objects, half human and half insect made, speak to ecology, communication, hope, and the human relationship to the planet.
Roth’s work, which relies on beeswax and honeycomb, is founded on a deep commitment to care of the environment, and in particular to the wellbeing of bees. Bees are often considered a harbinger of the health of the planet, and their mass global disappearance is interpreted by many as an indicator of our environment's peril. Roth’s project demands intimate observation and dialogue with bees, and to this end she works closely with Master Beekeeper Mylee Nordin. Nordin’s expertise is indispensable to overseeing the health and well-being of associated apiaries.
Roth is represented by Wallspace Gallery, in Ottawa. In addition to exhibiting in both solo and group shows in Canada and internationally, Roth’s work has been featured in a multitude of on-line and print magazines. Her pieces have been acquired by museums and private collectors throughout Canada and across the world.
