Ashley Emiko
Rongomaiwahine, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Porou, Persian, Iraqi, Hawaiian.
Email: bookings@ashleyemiko.com
Kia ora, I’m Ashley Emiko, an indigenous visual artist and creative based in Auckland, 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. My mahi is raw, honest, and grounded in real connection. I draw inspiration from te taiao, earthy textures, cinema, and my dreams - guided by the ihi and wana of my tīpuna.
I don’t chase perfection, I care about truth and love a little ‘ruggedness’. I’m more interested in what sits beneath the surface, emotion, tension, softness, mana, and the stories held in the whatumanawa. I work closely with my subjects, cultivating a safe 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, pūrākau, and wairua. I call my process ‘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 value building connection online without losing integrity or turning everything into an ad.
I run workshops and wānanga, teaching photography, visual storytelling, mahi toi, 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, culture, whakapapa, self-love, and our relationship to te taiao. It centres people and stories often overlooked, without watering them down. 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.
Mauri ora!
Exhibitions
2024 | For The People - Solo Art Exhibition. Hamilton, New Zealand.
2024 | Mātauranga Vision - Group Art Exhibition. Hamilton, New Zealand.