Ashlynn Rath | Arts and Entertainment | February
“My art holds deep personal and cultural meaning. It serves as a way to express indigenous experiences that have often been ignored, silenced, or misunderstood. Through my art I express oppression, racism, and discrimination indigenous people have faced throughout history, as well as the lasting impact these injustices continue to have today. Each piece is more than just an image, it’s a form of storytelling. I use color, symbolism, and emotion to represent generational trauma, resilience, and survival. My art acknowledges the pain caused by colonization, forced assimilation, and systemic racism, while honoring the strength and spirit of indigenous peoples. Creating art allows me to express the history, bring these uncomfortable truths to light, and reclaim narratives that were taken from us. It is both a reminder of what we have endured and a statement of our presence, despite everything, we are still here. My art exists solely to educate, to remember, and to give voice to the stories that deserve to be seen and heard.”
“I use digital art because it is easier for me, and I just enjoy it more.For me, my art holds the meaning of how you can make people happy with just a few pieces of art. I have always been so inspired how so many people can make these amazing art pieces from almost nothing but a few drawing materials. I have always loved art and it makes me so happy just showing people my art and trying to inspire others as well.”
“Repetitive themes in my work center around religion, family, and music. Art is subjective, obviously, and my work is left to interpretation. Being raised catholic and my perception of life and death as a younger child has greatly impacted my imagery. The image is a sketchbook illustration initially inspired by Alainis Morissette’s song “Sympathetic Character,” but eventually turned into a refined anatomy study in favor of a finished piece. If I were to name it, I’d retain the song’s title.”
“My most current art I’ve been making has been leaning towards political themes. We live in a time where domestic politics are quite partisan and corrupt, on both sides. It angers me that instead of seeing the deeper roots of the problem we instead focus on policing others and arguing with the other side. My more older art, however, is a more personal introspection. It’s a way for me to kind of get things off my chest that I can’t put into words, which can be very relieving.“
Ashlynn Rath is the Assistant Editor-in-Chief and the Feature Editor for The Courier. She has been on staff for 3 years now and has written many fun articles as well as serious ones.