ARTIST STATEMENT
Ashe's art practice is conceptually based and deeply rooted in exploring the politics of belonging and the human condition. He creates works that are both poetic and evocative, delving into the emotional intricacies of the human experience and exploring the complexities and nuances of identity, belonging, and marginalisation. Ashe is focused on extending his installation practice into new forms of expression and territories, by fusing live static performative gestures and the ready-made with various mediums such as photography, sculpture, text, and video. This approach allows him to create dynamic and multi-layered works that engage the viewer on numerous levels, both visually and conceptually. Ashe’s practice questions our broken social systems and reflects on the ongoing search for a sense of belonging in contemporary society, highlighting the vulnerability that comes with it.
Much of Ashe’s work features barriers that demand to be challenged or confronted.
Ashe was born in Naarm/Melbourne in 1974. He graduated from Sydney College of the Arts with a Bachelor of Visual Arts (Photography) in 1995, and a Masters of Contemporary Art (with distinction) from the Victorian College of the Arts in 2014. Ashe has held solo exhibitions at VOID_Melbourne, MAMA (Murray Art Museum Albury), Kings ARI, Blindside Gallery and BUS Projects. He has also participated in numerous group exhibitions across Australia, and internationally, at Parliament House Australia, Canberra; Museum of Australian Photography (MAPh), Melbourne; Lehrter Siebzehn, Berlin; tête, Berlin; Enjoy Public Art Gallery, Wellington; HOTA, Gold Coast; The Substation, Newport; Plimsoll Gallery, Hobart; Campbelltown Arts Centre, Campbelltown; and Araluen Gallery, Alice Springs. Ashe has received funding from the Australia Council for the Arts and Regional Arts Victoria for the development of his practice. He was the recipient of the Ian Potter Cultural Trust Emerging Artist Grant in 2014 and the National Gallery of Victoria Women's Association Award in 2013. His work has been selected as finalist in awards including, Wangaratta Contemporary Textile Award, Incinerator Art Award-Art for Social Change, Bowness Photography Prize and the Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Photography Award. Ashe was artist-in-residence at Picture Berlin (2014) in Berlin (DE) and for the Laughing Waters Artist Residency Program (2013) in Eltham (AU).