Alexis Ashe

Capstone Project: Girls Night

“Girls Night” is a poetry collection based on my current artistic life, exploring how I navigate young womanhood and how that experience manifests in my expression in many different fronts including my femininity and sexuality. The collection reflects how I have come to understand the various performances that occur within relationships of all kinds, from romantic to friendship to contentious and beyond. 

I consider this poetry collection to be, in and of itself, an artist's statement as it explores many of my inspirations, from visual aesthetics to other artists to people in my own life. The works themselves carry a hyperfeminine aesthetic since I view my art as though I am styling something or dressing it up. Through my poems, I am inviting the reader to join in on a “girls night” with me, exploring concepts of femininity, womanhood, beauty standards, and relationships in a whimsical, glamorous setting.

Bio

Alexis Ashe is an artist and writer in the Performance Studies program. In her work across various mediums, she invites viewers into a space where glamour and excess meet spirituality. Her written and visual work has been featured in showcases across the NYU community. Her painting, “Kiss Me Deadly”, is on display at the Tisch School of the Arts.  

Q&A with Alexis

What inspired your Capstone project?
My performance studies coursework has given me language and concepts to describe and understand the performances that occur within my relationships, even in intimate settings and gave me a greater appreciation of my own experiences as a young woman and an artist and I wrote these poems with this framework in mind. 

Why did you major in Performance Studies?
All artistic fields involve a level of performance, and this idea resonates with me. In my artistic endeavors, I create a vessel to connect with the audience, offering parts of myself and my own psyche for them to relate and spiritually respond to. My work is often inspired by multiple media forms. For example, a song may inspire a painting. An art movement may inspire a collage. Each of my works transforms into its own performance.

What have you enjoyed most about Performance Studies at NYU?
What I enjoyed most is that I had the opportunity to study with professors and artists who are well recognized in their field and the opportunities within the department to share my work and learn from others.

Any advice for new Performance Studies students? 
My advice would be to get involved in the various activities and opportunities that the Performance Studies department offers.