“Earth's first colony on a not-so-distant planet has been inhabited for just over five years. The residents within have made great progress, but with no return trip in sight, it is easy to feel lonely and homesick.”
Melbourne-based artist and illustrator Ashley Ronning has a new solo show opening this week and, oh boy, judging by that introduction it’s going to be out of this world.
In No Place Like Space, Ashley is taking us on a time warp back to the 70’s to examine what humankind’s first colony in space may have looked like. Imagine the excitement and euphoria post fresh moon-landing, juxtaposed against the intense feelings of isolation and loneliness being so far from Earth. Ashley is no stranger to exploring the universe through fantasy space travel, frequently touching on the wonders of space phenomena, and combining this with plants, nature and human interactions. This special combination results in her signature techno-retro-future-sci-fi vibe which has come to be highly sought after.
Wielding ink, pencils and her trusty risograph machine (Ashley is also the maverick behind Melbourne’s favourite riso biz Helio Press), she has created a series of limited edition prints, ink drawings, a zine and t-shirt imagining and exploring her space home-base fantasy.
Get down to Magic Johnston in Collingwood on February 2, 6 — 9PM for the opening of No Place Like Space. The show continues daily 10AM—5PM, until February 8th. More info here
See more of Ashley Ronning's work —
Photos by On Jackson Street / Tatanja Ross