AERA, also known as Ashleigh Elizabeth Rylander Abbott (b. 1981) is a multi-disciplinary artist whose practice encompasses sculpture, performance, sound, painting, and writing. She focuses on the ontological origins of gendered experiences, exploring the complexities of identity, motherhood, and scientism. Utilizing play, dance, research, speculation, and dreams, AERA’s work jumps between intuitive physicality and historical inquiry, aiming to illuminate new paradigms. With a flair for the speculative, abstract, and humorous, her art confronts social norms while engaging with themes of light and dark, biology, mythology, and gritty documentation.
Currently, AERA is exploring the intersections of psychological, psychedelic, and raw emotional experiences. She views materiality as concept-driven, often asking, “What are the limits of this material?” By engaging in a direct dialogue with her materials, she pushes boundaries to evoke emotion through form. She perceives materials as self-encrypted entities with unique properties, much like plants that possess innate medicinal qualities. Through playful interaction with substances such as turmeric, diamond powder, activated charcoal, and chitin, she creates a rich lexicon of form. Her work draws inspiration from the sensory world, dreams, technology, and the natural environment, addressing themes of death, birth, and the fluidity of identity.
AERA’s current projects include investigating the personal stories of individuals assigned female at birth (AFAB) and their experiences with hormone-altering birth control methods, delving into the interplay of body, gender, work, and capitalism. Works in progress such as Birth of the (Human) World, a social practice sound installation, and Demonology, a research-based sculpture series, exemplify her commitment to merging critical cultural analysis with diverse materials and communities. Additionally, she explores social practices through pieces like Communal Beast and First Steps into Fire, fostering meaningful dialogue and engagement.
Ultimately, AERA’s work invites viewers to confront harmful coding in common storytelling and the complexities of gender, intimacy, and the human experience. Through her installations and performances, she creates spaces for reflection, encouraging audiences to consider their own narratives within the broader tapestry of identity and cultural resilience.
AERA holds a BFA and a BUS from the University of New Mexico, as well as an MFA from Parsons, The New School. She has received several accolades, including the Covington Rhodes Prize and The Bio Design Challenge Award. As the 2022 Curator Fellow at Parsons, her work has been exhibited in New Mexico, New York, and internationally, appearing in venues such as Gallery MC, the Aronson Gallery, and Grace Exhibition Space.