Aasha John: As I Weave

As I Weave is a new body of work by artist and teacher Aasha John, bringing together woven photographic pieces that explore family histories and connections shaped between Trinidad and London. Each work begins with family photographs and recorded conversations, translated through the slow, tactile process of weaving. Threads intersect, pull and resist, binding images that are often incomplete, fractured or partially obscured.

Working with her family archive, John approaches weaving as both a method of making and a way of thinking. Photographs are cut, reassembled and interlaced, creating surfaces that hold multiple stories at once. Memories shift, overlap and at times fall apart; gaps and silences remain visible within the work. These absences are not resolved but held in tension, reflecting the complexities of remembering across generations shaped by migration and distance.

At the centre of the work is a process of deep listening. Conversations with family members form the foundation of each piece, with oral histories translated into material form. Weaving becomes a means of preservation, holding together fragments of shared and personal experience while resisting their loss over time. In this way, the works operate as physical embodiments of memory, where thread functions as both connection and structure.

Developed during Autograph’s Visible Practice Residency, this exhibition reflects John’s ongoing enquiry into the relationship between artistic practice and teaching. Across her work, the roles of artist and teacher are not separate but in dialogue, shaping how knowledge is produced, shared and understood.

Aasha John was the second resident artist for Autograph’s Visible Practice Residency, a three-year project supporting artist-teacher from global majority backgrounds in arts education.

The residency provides an opportunity to create new work within and beyond the school environment, showcasing the value of artist-teachers and new approaches to practice in teaching. Visible Practice Residency is delivered in partnership with The Photographers’ Gallery, with support from the Freelands Foundation.