ARTISTS STATEMENT
I address the Black maternal mortality and morbidity crisis in America through painting and multimedia. Influenced by my own traumatic pregnancy and survival, the imagery centers the experiences of Black mothers, birthing people, and children who have suffered adverse birth outcomes. Through often imagined spaces reflecting memory and time, mined from narrative recounts and photographic documentation, the figures demonstrate how they cope. Notions around the active choice of healing and finding joy surface while simultaneously challenging the institutional modes in finding systemic solutions. Confronting themes through quiet, often heavy motifs, the environments articulate the imposed health effects disproportionately experienced. All familial perspectives are considered after a tangential birth trauma survival. Continuing the delicately layered conversations surrounding Black maternal health, the images serve as a global call to action for more awareness, research, and the eradication of preventable maternal and infant loss.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Ashley January creates contemporary paintings informed by her maternal experience through exploring themes of preeclampsia, premature birth, and healing after birthing trauma. Ashley became the first recipient of the Women’s Caucus for Art Emerging Artist Award. She was selected as a finalist for the 2022 Artadia Chicago Award and in 2023, had the second installment of her solo exhibition, Human | Mother | Black, at Western Illinois University. Last spring, Cynthia Corbett Gallery presented her series at EXPO Chicago 2024. She continued to debut her newest series, Environments of a Heavy Joy, at the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair in London. Recently, Ashley was included in the group exhibition, Mama Needs a Raise!, at Old Stone House in New York. Tufts University School of Medicine’s Center for Black Maternal Health and Reproductive Justice acquired multiple paintings from her series. Her works have been exhibited in numerous venues including, Apex Art; The Young Masters Exhibition in London, UK; the South Side Community Art Center; Art Division Los Angeles; SoLA Contemporary; the Museum of Science and Industry; Laguna Art Museum; Pacific Art Foundation; and the Irvine Fine Arts Center. In 2018, she was awarded first place at the Woman Made Gallery’s Midwest Open. Ashley earned her MFA in Painting from Laguna College of Art and Design in 2017 and her BS in Communication with an Advertising concentration and Minor in Studio Art from Bradley University in 2009. She lives in Chicago with her family while working from her studio at Mana Contemporary.
© Ashley January