Ashleigh Zimmerman is a Kai Tahu artist and Art Educator living in Whangārei. Her lens-based practice intersects with whenua/uku practice, and explores connections to Papatūānuku in relation to her identity as a wahine Māori. As an educator, Ashleigh is passionate about fostering an encouraging rangatahi to develop their own voice in their art as a vehicle to express their own identity and unique experiences.

Zimmerman completed a Master of Māori Visual Art through Toioho ki Āpiti at Massey University in 2024, developing mahi that communicates a sense of suspended animation in Te Kore as a metaphor for her infertility haerenga.

Connecting to kaupapa such as whakapapa, whare ngaro, and tinana sovereignty, her work aims to highlight the vulnerable and mamae experiences in efforts to whakanoa wahine’s experiences in this space. Zimmerman uses light painting techniques along with elemental subject matter to capture intimate and universal narratives with an ethereal quality.

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