Ashley Kouri

Photography, for me, is a way to engage in a dialogue with the past, exploring the profound power that places and memories hold. I work primarily with tintypes—a process steeped in historical significance—creating images that connect the contemporary world to something deeper and unseen. Each piece becomes an object infused with personal meaning, much like the landscapes and spaces I revisit in my work. The act of making these photographs is a ritual, one that allows me to summon lost moments, forgotten histories, and versions of myself that have faded with time.

The resulting tintypes form a kind of shadow world, a space suspended between the past and present. Their dark tones and fragile surfaces evoke the presence of what has been lost while holding space for what remains absent. My work extends beyond capturing a single place or moment; it becomes a dialogue with the unseen, exploring how the weight of history and memory lingers in both the spaces we inhabit and the lives we live.

In addition to my tintype practice, I run a business where I photograph portraits using both tintype and digital methods. This allows me to blend historical techniques with modern approaches, offering clients a unique experience that ties personal identity to the timelessness of the photographic medium.

My artistic practice often expands into other forms, such as installation, bookmaking, and experimental film. No matter the medium, my work follows a pattern of ritual, seeking to explore the world beyond the tangible. I am constantly in conversation with my past self—the self that existed before I lost my father or witnessed the destruction of my home in Hurricane Helene. Through my work, I continue to study how we inhabit the space between memory and presence, and how the past informs the present.