Ash Thayer is a multidisciplinary artist working across photography, film, and mixed media. She received a BFA in Photography from the School of Visual Arts and an MFA from Columbia University School of the Arts.
Her work is held in numerous public and private collections, including the Saatchi Gallery, Art Institute of Chicago, Museum of the City of New York, and the Ahmanson Foundation.
In 2015, Kill City: Lower East Side Squatters 1992–2000 was published by powerHouse Books. Combining photographs and texts drawn from her years living among housing activists and squatters on New York City’s Lower East Side during the 1990s, the publication received widespread critical attention, including a West Coast book tour, panel discussions, and presentations at the New York Public Library and NYU’s Colloquium for Unpopular Culture. In 2016, the book was named one of the top photography books of the season by American Photography.
Thayer is currently in post-production on her feature documentary, Metal Kills. Developed through long-term immersion within the Viking reenactment community in Denmark, the project centers on women competing alongside men in one of the only competitive combat sports without gender divisions. The film follows women who remain relentless in their pursuit of the battlefield despite the physical risks of the sport and the ongoing realities of injuries, illnesses, pregnancies, and recoveries, while tracing the powerful social bonds formed within the reenactment community.
Recent work span handblown glass, metals, image-based practices, and light installation.
For studio visit inquiries, please contact ash@ashthayerstudio.com.