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"A black and white photographer who identifies with people who are different, Ashley has now built up a collection of pictures of people with physical differences, including the disabled actor Mat Fraser. Ashley's photos have a certain intimacy and humour and are presented as simple statements, unpretentious and very real."
For as long as I can remember, I have been drawn towards beauty that is strange and unique, that which falls far outside the parameters of acceptability, designated by a society which on one hand professes to encourage individuality, whilst on the other, enforces conformity and regulation.
These images constitute part of a larger, on-going body of work which explores the concept of human physical difference in the 21st Century, and was inspired by the historic genre of the "freak show", a form of popular entertainment in which a variety of 'singular' bodies were publicly exhibited for profit. In presenting such exhibits, showmen 'framed and packaged' differences to which we now refer to as race, ethnicity, disability, gender and sexuality, creating cultural 'otherness' from the basic components of physical dissimilarity.
Since 1990, my photographs have been selectively exhibited in the UK and extensively published, and held in private and public collections. The creation of my work relies, to a great extent, on the development of a high level of trust between me and my models. For me, and for many of the individuals with whom I collaborate, the photographic process is intensely therapeutic, going far beyond aesthetics.
It is also my hope that in positively promoting the wondrous diversity of human form, I may help, in some small way, to challenge and subvert the dull, restricting, inadequate and outdated binary classificatory system adopted throughout much of the world. I would like to thank the models who have collaborated with me in order to produce this work. Without their enthusiasm, energy and support, the creation of these images would never have been possible.
Photo: 'Tony' by Ashley 0207 229 2944
