ABOUT
![[ EMPRESS ]-2.png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11dfab_70e0486b9f4e4b689c883753d3320e3a~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_293,h_293,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/%5B%20EMPRESS%20%5D-2.png)
ARTIST STATEMENT
"I enjoy invoking nostalgia in people. Using pop-culture references and memories from my experience, I create contemporary pop-art pieces that represent a memory to me but also provoke a memory or feeling for the viewer. It is like having a conversation with the viewer, connecting our individual experiences through nostalgic response to imagery."
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Ashley Miah is an Afro-Latina artist from New York City who focuses on acrylic painting. An Honoree of Crain's 20 in their 20's 2022, Ashley enjoys creating art for urban communities and puts events together through her Art Organization, The Culture Candy, for artists to showcase their work and encourage New Yorkers to invest in urban, minority and undiscovered artists. The Culture Candy is a NYC based arts organization that celebrates urban New York City Culture, the arts, and urban & minority artists by providing upcoming artists with showcase opportunities. In addition to The Culture Candy she is the founder of heART Con, a recurring art convention and NYC's official art week. heART Week, her first citywide NYC art week, took place June 2022 and included businesses throughout the five boroughs including Chelsea Market, ARTECHOUSE and more! She aims to continue to create and spread the love she has for her urban upbringing through art.
In her early life, Ashley created art independently leading her to attend a performing arts high school. After attending Fiorello H.
LaGuardia High School of Music & Art she continued to pursue the field and currently holds a B.F.A. from Hunter College. Although she mainly works in acrylics, she is classically trained in figure drawing, photography, graphic design, fashion design and printmaking. Born and raised in the Lower East Side, Ashley creates large works of contemporary pop art paintings that play on 90's pop culture and urban New York City culture, along with paintings and mixed media combining pop culture references and spirituality. This collaboration of ideas is an ode to her upbringing in the 90’s to early millennium in urban New York City, and her family’s Afro-Cuban roots of Santeria in Spirituality. Serving as a reminder of internal riches, Ashley's art signature is the diamond and aims to spread reminders of internal wealth with her current collection through collaborations with Comfiart, Artel & more.
SOCIAL MEDIA & DESIGN
In addition to being an artist, Ashley works as a social media manager, designer and branding consultant. As the in-house designer at BQE Fitness, the largest gym in NYC, Ashley has designed billboards, large custom signs, flyers, website graphics and more! Ashley also manages social media accounts and has built the branding of clients such as BQE Fitness in addition to her own company The Culture Candy, heART Con and herself Lee Lee La Cubana.
Through her personal social media brand, Ashley has had brand collaborations, influencer partnerships and ambassadorships with brands such as Fashion to Figure including their collaboration launch with Tabria Majors, Thred Up, Vibe Szn, I Love My Muff, NKD, Blaze Pizza and more! As an influencer, Ashley has provided social media audits and brand consultations to like-minded artists and aspiring influencers who want to learn where to start. In 2022 she released an e-book guide for artists to start their art careers utilizing social media marketing as she did.
THE CULTURE CANDY
The Culture Candy is a NYC based arts organization that celebrates urban New York City Culture, the arts, and urban & minority artists by providing upcoming artists with showcase opportunities. Founded by Ashley Miah and Zalika Zeni two female artists of color seeking opportunities in the New York City art world, The Culture Candy is dedicated to encouraging young minority creatives to pursue their artistic passions through their involvement in community programs and gallery pop-ups throughout NYC.
heART CON
heART Con is an art convention showcasing galleries, artists, curators and everything art, that originated in New York City by The Culture Candy. heART Con is surrounded by heART Week, New York's official art week taking place annually every June.
[ EMPRESS ]
Intended at first to serve as a gentle reminder to her divine feminine power and inner strength, the empress tattoo has become a mindset and brand for the artist Lee Lee La Cubana. The tattoo is in typewriter font with a period and within brackets symbolizing the power comes from within and not from others. The word empress was chosen for its spiritual symbolism in tarot and spirituality, a woman who embodies the strength, beauty, tact and passion of all queens. The artist used the self-acclaimed title to push forward in her journey of becoming an established artist, influencer and business woman in hopes of encouraging like-minded women to pursue their passions and love themselves. Turning the tattoo into a tag in permanent marker font, the artist has tagged areas in NYC and has also printed it on an apparel line. Check it out
