Alumni Art Exhibition 2021 - Ashaka Mathews

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ASHAKA MATHEWS

Two women in a car driving up to a house

Harmonious Gathering, 2016
Digital Photograph Printed on Chromira Pearl
30 x 17 inches

A woman running from a flock of birds

The Uncanny: Birds of Paradise, Still #3, 2017
Digital Photograph Printed on Chromira Pearl
19 x 30 inches

A woman gazing out a window into the rain

The Dark Passenger, 2018
Digital Photograph
22 x 12 inches

 
I was born and raised in Long Beach California. Growing up my brothers and I were all homeschooled, living a pretty sheltered existence. It wasn’t until I started college, that I begin to explore a broader narrative in my life. From a very young age, I was interested in photography and inspired by the movies, the characters, and storytelling. I began to see that I could blend the two in an artistic way. I truly enjoy working with people and creating stories that connect on an emotional level. And I believe it’s important to tell stories that show a diverse perception of the world. The environment, the lighting, all become characters in the story I’m trying to tell. I want to capture a performance, a live connection between the image and the viewer.

After attending Cerritos College between 2006 and 2013, Ashaka Mathews received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography and Imaging from Art Center College of Design. Mathews is interested in still imagery and the motion picture as artwork. He continues to create personal projects that are informed by the storytelling of cinema and grounded in a diverse exploration of characters and subject matter. Mathews has exhibited his work six times in the Cerritos College Student Art Exhibition, winning three awards, including one for special achievement in photography. In April of 2019, Voyage LA published an article on Mathews and his work in their LA’s Most Inspiring Stories section.