Artist Statement

My artwork explores lived experiences through the lens of containment. It investigates how humans go about preserving and remembering these scars, then how they pass on these containers. The imagery within the work highlights the scars left by grief and change through both the physical container and the emotional container that symbolically holds memory.

Text and language can also be symbolic and play an essential role in this work. Text is found in many forms, sometimes in found handwriting, others as bold, constructed statements. I am interested in how the language within a work can alter a viewer's interpretation of the art object, the text, and finally the two in conjunction. This triality is intentional and extends into the titles of the work as well.

I work in both metal and photography to explore the transformation of life and the grief those changes can bring. The juxtaposition of metal, a material that is long-lasting, often surviving many generations compared to a printed photograph with the ability to document time, place and memory, is important to the themes I explore. Grief is something we all experience. The cause of that grief is individual, as is our experience with it.

The experience happens over time, which also impacts this work. It is an act of devotion to spend hours forming a sheet of metal or embroidering a photograph. The themes I explore can be heavy, often dealing with themes of grief, loss, and events bringing about change. It is essential that I give time to process it as I create the work.

This process of time is seen especially in regards embroidery. The act of destruction required is also a key element. I must first punch holes in the photograph before I can mend it. It references what happens when physical changes occur in people and then are altered. A thing must be destroyed before it can be mended. I sometimes wonder if the end justifies the means, if the mending is as needed as so many think.

Biography

Ashley Smith is a fine artist living and working in Georgia.

A life-long creative, she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art from Valdosta State University in 2019 and her Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art from Georgia Southern University in 2024.

While at GSU, Smith worked as an Instructor of Foundations. Currently, they are an Instructor and Wood shop Supervisor at Valdosta State University.