All semester long, I have been seeing Instagrams of people in an art gallery that appears almost fantastic. On magazine street in Uptown NOLA, there is an ever-changing pop culture art gallery called the Ashley Longshore Studio Gallery. This gallery houses artwork that is somewhat unconventional, but ever so intriguing. Just to add a little imagery, there is a large painting of Lil Wayne as the Pope holding a monkey on his lap. This gallery brings imagination to life, and creates an environment that feels like the movie set of "Clueless"!
Being that I had not visited this baroque-looking gallery, I knew that with a friend coming to town, I had to make it a top priority. We ate lunch at a small pizzeria on magazine street, and then spent the next hour and a half in Ashley Longshore's one-room studio gallery. Amazed and overwhelmed by everything around me, I could not help myself but takes tons of pictures. Part of the atmosphere's appeal is that there is no central piece, everything in the gallery is equally as eye-catching.
In addition to her pop-culture characters, Ashley's use of historic figures coupled with her own flair adds an additional element of enchantment. For instance, her depiction of Frida Kahlo with a colorful unibrow and other enhancements, gives this classic portrait a new, and exciting twist. All of her works posses unique elements in them, which keep you staring at them, and ultimately instagramming them. Her fan base consists of such a wide range of ages due to her use of both historical elements and modern elements in one art form.
