Ashley Frazier

2023

Installation at United Airlines A West Club at Denver International Airport - curated by Nine Dot Arts - click here for more information

Above & Below is made up of thousands of pieces of broken glass which were individually attached by hand to a sculpted substrate. The sculpture references formations found both on the ground and in the air while referencing stalagmites and stalactites caves found inside the Colorado landscape. In this way, the site-specific sculpture appears to symbolize a preserved formation unearthed during the construction phase of the building it resides in.

2022

Pink Progression: Synergy

In the sculptural series Untitled Collaboration with Egg Shells artists Ashley Frazier and Becky Wareing Steele have merged their artistic practices to explore the different meanings that can be inferred from an egg shell. Through out history eggs have been viewed as a symbol of hope and purity as well as fertility and the circle of life. By reimagining egg shells in a sculptural context it is the artists intent for the viewer to explore the works and find their own associations within the scenes presented. Collaborating during a pandemic has added another layer to the work as each artist works separately in their own spaces the collaboration reveals itself in the final installation as the works come together like two halves of a whole.

Concrete, broken glass, resin
2021

Private residential commission

Obsolete Obscurity

Ashley Frazier & Michael Sperandeo are pleased to announce their artist collaboration with Meow Wolf Denver

Statement:
Obsolete Obscurity takes a satirical approach to the construction of a catacomb by assembling obsolete items such as telephones, tube televisions, floppy disks, pagers, and books to form a room filled with thought provoking discovery and humor. The clean and sterile feeling of the environment is meant to contrast the large number of objects that make up the space, while color and texture create a cohesion among a variety of forms. The book arches draw upon architectural details of traditional catacombs while referencing books as the “pillars” of technology. Brick cell phones reflect traditional catacomb architecture by literally constructing the barrel-vaulted ceiling. The haunting nature of technology, that is no longer in service, calls attention to the egregore and memory found within an object. The niches highlight the endless amount of technology no longer in use - leaving a haunting sensation that recalls a recently nostalgic past.

Process:
We started our ideation for this install by diving into a research phase where we learned about the functions and purpose of catacombs. Elements of the catacombs reflected aspects of our art practices - with Ashley’s work focusing primarily on memory in relation to material, and Michael’s work exploring facets of technology. This posed an interesting amalgamation that paralleled the underpinning of catacombs as a symbol. After this realization we started drafting concepts of the space which developed from napkin drawing to fully realized 3d renderings. With our concept images in hand, we worked with our Meow Wolf team and sub-contractors to manufacture wall panels and ceiling tiles that resembled our original concepts.

The two flanking niches display an array of cast and found “tech relics”. By creating silicone molds of these objects, we were able to produce and replicate multiples of our found objects. The “infinity effect” with two mirrors replicated the arched nature of our hallways, repetition of objects and reinforced the general composition of the space.

Intention:
We hope Obsolete Obscurity fosters a discussion around the worship and downfall of technology items. We find this cycle of death and birth of technology to be a core element of the human condition and hope the visitors can find amusement in our satirical approach to such a philosophic conversation.

It is also our intention to evoke the nostalgia of these objects. We hope that by seeing these relics, the visitors are immersed in memories that surround these objects and engage in the sharing of those memories with their friends and family, while noting how they constructed their sense of place and time. We see these tech relics as talismans of sorts, that act as shortcuts to the guest’s recall of the past.

Related Press:
https://red.msudenver.edu/2021/take-a-sneak-peek-at-meow-wolfs-new-mind-bending-world.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/24/arts/design/meow-wolf-denver-convergence-station.html

VISIT MEOW WOLF DENVER

Photo credit: Wes Magyar

Remnants Series No. 12
Cement & broken glass
2021

Private residential commission

2020

VMG is excited to reopen our gallery with MASK. In their widespread across the globe, masks have become a ubiquitous symbol of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through this project, we hope to call attention to the significance and signification of masking as an issue of public health and a demonstration of civic responsibility. Equally, MASK calls attention to this newly important medium’s function as an outward mode of self-expression and opportunity for creativity.

In turns utilitarian and fantastical, featured masks showcase artists engaging with the pandemic and applying their skills and individual styles. Participating artists include Dorothy Grant, Frankie Toan, Jiangmei Wu, Freyja Sewell, Freya Jobbins, Victor Escobedo, Elizabeth Morisette, Felicia Murray, Kate Marling, Mathias Kresmer, Anissa Mekrabech, Plastique Fantastique, Adrienne Deloe, Maria Molteni, George Levi, Laura Lee Shill, Rebecca Vaughan, Cristina Rodo, Matt Harris, Tracy Tomko, Don Fodness, Ashley Frazier, Michael Espinoza, Trey Duvall, Wyatt Scott, Tobias Fike, Tiffany Matheson, Sammy Lee, Marsha Mack, Noah Travis Phillips, Heather Cox, Jennifer Lord, Scottie Burgess, Laleh Mehran, Chris Coleman, Laura Beacom and more!

Commissioned art work that abstractly relates to Colorado.

2020

Click Here for Press

In the sculptural series Untitled Collaboration with Egg Shells artists Ashley Frazier and Becky Wareing Steele have merged their artistic practices to explore the different meanings that can be inferred from an egg shell. Through out history eggs have been viewed as a symbol of hope and purity as well as fertility and the circle of life. By reimagining egg shells in a sculptural context it is the artists intent for the viewer to explore the works and find their own associations within the scenes presented. Collaborating during a pandemic has added another layer to the work as each artist works separately in their own spaces the collaboration reveals itself in the final installation as the works come together like two halves of a whole.

Cast cement, broken glass, acrylic, mixed media
7”x14”x7”
2020

This work is perminently part of the TransMontaigne art collection

Border Line

Concrete and broken glass

5’x5’

2019

Broken cast bricks and bottles form the Remnants Series, which draw reflection on the urban landscape.  It is difficult to tell if the separated pieces are breaking apart or coming together - creating a suspended moment of reflection on this duality.

Remnants Series No5

Concrete and broken glass

2018

Private Collection of David Merage

Uncanny landscapes generated from a deep learning AI program based on basic paint software examines the relationship of place and technology.

Alto Gallery Exhibition: Natural Patterns: HABIT(u)ation

Remnants Series No4

Concrete and broken glass

2018

Broken cast bricks and bottles form the Remnants Series, which draw reflection on the urban landscape.  It is difficult to tell if the separated pieces are breaking apart or coming together - creating a suspended moment of reflection on this duality.

Digiscape Studies Series

Mixed Media

2018

Untitled

Lwire Installation

2018

Lights Out Lights On is a one-night-only event celebrating light-based installation and new media - created and curated by Ashley Frazier, Drew Austin & Michael Sperandeo.

Happening concurrently between Redline Denver and The Temple, over 20 Colorado artists activate space with immersive installation works, video and animation, light-based sculptural interventions, and projection mapping. The two spaces are connected with light but each hold something a little bit different.

Artists are asked to present work that focuses on the material and method of installation rather than a cohesive theme. Everything from small light-boxes to large-scale installation, video screenings and moving image works that you can smell will be on view for the night!

Light Out/On will happen again summer of 2019, additional details TBA.

Remnants Series No6

Concrete and broken glass

2018

- Centennial Resources art collection

Broken cast bricks and bottles form the Remnants Series, which draw reflection on the urban landscape.  It is difficult to tell if the separated pieces are breaking apart or coming together - creating a suspended moment of reflection on this duality.

Untitled

Photograph

2017

Remnants Series No2

Cement and broken glass

2017

Broken cast bricks and bottles form the Remnants Series, which draw reflection on the urban landscape.  It is difficult to tell if the separated pieces are breaking apart or coming together - creating a suspended moment of reflection on this duality.

Remnants Series

Concrete and broken glass

2017

Broken cast bricks and bottles form the Remnants Series, which draw reflection on the urban landscape.  It is difficult to tell if the separated pieces are breaking apart or coming together - creating a suspended moment of reflection on this duality.

The original Remnants Series has been disbursed into several different collections, including the private art collection of Fred Glick.

Remnants

Concrete and broken glass

2014

Found object work that addresses gentrification.

Hair-Scape

Human and synthetic hair

2014