Ashley Emiko
Rongomaiwahine, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Porou, Persian, Hawaiian.
Email: bookings@ashleyemiko.com
Kia ora, I’m Ashley Emiko, a wahine Māori visual artist and creative based in Aotearoa. Nau mai haere mai ki tēnei whare auaha, I’m a haututū at heart that’s always willing to try new things!
I work as a memory archivist, using photography and moving image to document people as they are, not as they’re expected to be. My work is raw, honest, and grounded in real connection. I draw inspiration from te taiao, earthy textures, and 1970s cinema - guided by a practice that is tīpuna led and mokopuna focused.
I don’t chase perfection for the sake of it, I care about truth. I’m interested in what sits beneath the surface, emotion, tension, softness, mana, and the stories held in the whatumanawa. I work closely with my subjects, creating a haumaru space that is collaborative and real.
Self-portraiture is a big part of my practice. Working with my own tinana allows me to experiment freely without pressure. It’s where I test my whacky ideas, push boundaries, sit with discomfort, and learn what safety, consent, and trust actually feel like from inside the whare. That lived wheako directly shapes how I work with others behind the lens.
Alongside the lens, I like to also refer to myself as a textile romantic. Clothing and fashion aside, I work with rope, shibari, and harakeke as practices of trust, care, and presence. Fibre holds memory and pūrākau. It holds wairua. My process is about wairua harvesting, being present enough to feel what’s there and letting yourself open up to honour that.
I also work across social media, content creation, and modelling. I create, direct, shoot, and edit content for brands and projects, and step in front of the camera when it serves the mahi. I understand how to build connection online without losing integrity or turning everything into an ad.
MI run workshops and wānanga, teaching photography, visual storytelling, and creative practice in a grounded, accessible way. No gatekeeping, no ego, no bull… just real skills, real kōrero, and hands-on in the mahi learning.
My mahi explores identity, whakapapa, self-love, and our relationship to te taiao. It centres people and stories often overlooked, without softening or sanitising them. Everything I create is rooted in decolonising, connection, and community.
I take my mahi seriously. I show up prepared, present, and real. I make work that’s meant to be felt, not just seen.
Exhibitions
2024 | For The People - Solo Art Exhibition. Hamilton, New Zealand.
2024 | Mātauranga Vision - Group Art Exhibition. Hamilton, New Zealand.