Inner Space, a new monthly web series co-curated by the Inner Space Youth Advisory and AGO staff, welcomes artists from across Canada as they present personal tours of their studios. Giving a platform to young curators aged 16-25 to work with artists from their communities, Inner Space aims to make visible and celebrate a new generation of Canadian artists. A new video will be released each month.

This month we meet artist Ashley Hemmings,  a visual artist and arts administrator currently based in St. John’s, Newfoundland.

They were curated by Rachel Gilbert of the AGO Youth Advisory. “Ashley's work provides an optimistic view of everyday life in a world full of seriousness. From bold, rug-hooked public signs to the wonders of plant life, I have always enjoyed her artworks. It's environmentally aware and sparks interest in the natural world - an increasingly important topic as we live through the concerning effects of climate change. I love her rugs; although humourous, they allow us to look critically at the rules and restrictions imposed on public spaces. I know Ashley from school and work - her laidback, positive attitude and excellent work ethic show in her artistic practice."

Artist Bio:

Ashley Hemmings is a visual artist and arts administrator currently based in St. John’s, Newfoundland. They completed their BFA in Visual Art at Memorial University of Newfoundland in 2018, and an MFA in Visual Art at the University of Windsor in 2021. Their practice asks questions about the relationships between humans and the natural world, and draws attention to the exponentially bizarre ways that land and public space are regulated but not protected. Ashley has worked at a number of art galleries and artist-run-centres including Eastern Edge Gallery, The Grenfell Art Gallery, The Rooms Provincial Art Gallery, and INCUBATOR Art Lab.

Curator Bio:

Rachel Gilbert was born in Texas with family roots in Newfoundland, moving to the island in 2014 to study for BFA in Visual arts from Grenfell Campus. As an interdisciplinary artist, Gilbert specializes in painting and printmaking with subjects ranging from animals and nature to still-life and portraiture. She has been working with the arts community since 2016, starting with the Corner Brook Rotary Arts Centre’s Visual Arts Committee, a Collections Internship at The Rooms, to her work as the Communication & Design Assistant at St. Michael’s Printshop. Rachel recently worked as the Outreach Coordinator at Eastern Edge. She is also one of the lead organizers of the BIPOC Creators Collective of NL.