Ashley Stokols: Transformative Art Evoking Bittersweet Nostalgia in Self-Portraits

Unveiling the Nostalgic Imaginary Space of Girlhood

Introducing from our Open call for students the artist Ashley Stokols studying art at School of the Art Institute of Chicago class of 2025 .

Ashley tells us about her work:

It’s stylized self-portraiture in my childhood, but not really about my childhood.

Amorphous creatures climb into my memories and silently observe, punctuating the nature of childhood, a nostalgic imaginary space that you can never really return to.

Hopefully through zooming in on myself, the scenes become universal and relatable.

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Images and text courtesy the artist

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Images on view:

Caption 1: I trust I’ll wake up tomorrow because mom and dad said I would and if I don’t at least they’ll be in the next room over | 40x50 inches | Oil on Canvas

Caption 2: I can hear you | 28x46 inches | Oil on Canvas

Caption 3: I just wanna be me again | 38x50 inches | Oil on Canvas

Caption 4: I’m scared to look because I fear there is nothing to know, or if there is something to be known it’s the type of thing I’d rather not know | 28x46 inches | Oil on Canvas