Ashley Nieuwenhuizen // Profile

Wearing the Feathers

Through the morphing of my body, to that of animal, I explore the relationship between man and creature, and the similarities and characteristics we share. By subjecting myself to the physical and mental experiences of this being, shown in my printmaking, performance art, video, sculpture and poetry, I am able to gain an insight of ‘becoming,’ as well as heightening the sensory awareness of the viewer. Staying true to my subject matter through the use of raw materials within my work, suggests the fragility of life within the animal and human realms. Although I am trying to become the animal by exhibiting and transforming my body through wearable sculpture, I am also aware of the fact that as a human being, the animal that I am wearing is also being controlled or domesticated; bringing about connotations with that of selective breeding, hybridisation and particularly the subjection of violence toward the female, in both animal and human communities. At the moment I am working on some pieces to exhibit in January, in a collaborative show with Lauren Gault.

Artist's CV