Ashley McDowell

Ashley's work will be on view at the Joyce Elaine Grant Exhibition at Texas Woman's University. Opening reception: Tuesday February 25, 2014

Next week, Light Leaked will present an interview with the juror: Elizabeth Siegel, Associate Curator of Photography, Art Institute of Chicago

Ashley McDowell lives and works in Boston, MA. She received a BFA in Art Photography from Syracuse University and an MFA in Photography from Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Her photographic series Up From Under chronicles the last several years of her own family's struggle. Beginning with an interest in understanding her sister's addiction to heroin, the works title comes from a chapter in the Narcotics Anonymous book.

View more of Ashley's work here

Up From Under Statement 

Yellow, swirled, buttercream frosting covers the moist red cake that lies inside. The cherry on top matches the red and white-checkered tablecloth, used to prevent any type of mess. Cake, a form that once it’s cut, will never be recovered to its original state. Symbolic of the impact that drug addiction has on a family, it may never be whole again. A symbol of celebration, joy and indulgence, here tells a story of sadness and pain. This tenuous cake is a representation of the many elements at play in my work. Pleasure and pain echo back and forth from one another and speak to the roller coaster that is addiction. The work is an investigation over several years of my older sister’s addiction to heroin. Filled with a closeness and distance to one another as well as other members of the family, my attempt is to show my understanding of the complexities of our family dynamic, the journey to recovery and back again.