“Like fire, power can be a force of immense transformation, beckoning change in those who possess it or tempting us to bend the world to our desires. Power is an enigmatic concept, and at times can be both beautiful and chaotic.” 

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In “The Nature of Power” Ashing confronts the seemingly innate human desire to seek power and warns of the perils of a selfish pursuit. The show allows us to question the various ways in which power influences our lives. 

 

In this, his third solo exhibition, Ashing creates a world ruled by a supreme god and supernatural deities grappling for power. The discovery of a primordial, sacred fire allows the deities to finally grasp the upper hand in the battle and overthrow the supreme god. However, the fallout of the battle ultimately leads to the destruction of the very world they aimed to rule, the point at which we enter this world- a world perpetually burning with ancient punishing flames. 

 

The paintings depict the beings found in this imagined world as emotionally nuanced, emblematic characters. As such, they transcend fantasy and reflect real world archetypes. Meanwhile, the landscapes feature bold, impressionistic brush strokes that aim to capture the energy of a world undergoing cataclysmic transformation.