Surreal snapshots of Canadian city life

Weird in Winnipeg — Karen Asher’s ‘ambiguous and chaotic’ photography offers a new perspective on life in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Winnipeg is small, isolated, funny, crusty and sort of cool in a down-on-its-luck, life sucks kind of way. The city is cheap and accessible, and the arts community is friendly and supportive. I love my cats.

I’ve felt the need to leave the city since I was a teenager, but it still hasn’t happened. I was born in Montreal, and I’m still mad at my dad for bringing us to Winnipeg as a child. I always imagine how exotic and metropolitan my life would have been if we hadn’t left. I did live in Japan for a year, and every day fantasise longingly (and unrealistically) about moving to New York. It’s an impossible, punky pipe dream.

I find my subjects by asking the people around me — they’re mostly friends and acquaintances. Sometimes the idea comes first and I find the right person, sometimes I’m totally inspired by an individual and I start imagining a photoshoot. It’s pretty random and I just go with the flow. Winnipeg has a really great art scene and I’ve been lucky with people generously letting their guard down and trusting me to just create whatever I’m dreaming of.

KarenAsher_PussyWillow KarenAsher_ShiraBella

I’ve always been in love with raw moments that are complex and intense. My first three art crushes were Diane Arbus, Nan Goldin and Weegee, so it’s not a total surprise what inspires my personal aesthetic. I also love connecting with people, so that’s always been my focus.

Earlier on in my career, I made unconventional portraits that were probably a bit too pretty. With time, I’ve been more interested in trying to create an ambiguous, chaotic moment — I like art that is multi-layered and asks a lot of questions. My artistic vision is continuously evolving, and I’m becoming more and more interested in abstracting the figure to the point of absurdity.

Pretty much everything inspires me: youth, aging, dying, bodies, dance, music, film, jokes, isolation, depression, big cities, wandering the streets, being on buses… I’m a freaky emotional buffoon, so everything to me is extreme and ridiculous. I’m inspired by daily life, even just the boring stuff. I have a staring problem. I’m a freak. The end.

KarenAsher KarenAsher_Wallpaper KarenAsher_SkeletonGirls-1024x683 KarenAsher_Travis KarenAsher_SchoolGirl KarenAsher_Welleh KarenAsher_SadPlant KarenAsher_Parade KarenAsher_Painting KarenAsher_BellaAndMarvin KarenAsher_BlueBoy KarenAsher_EchoChristabel KarenAsher_LittleHill1 KarenAsher_Masks KarenAsher_MikeAndSylvia

See more of Karen Asher’s work on her official website.

Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter


Latest on Huck

Smiling person in black wetsuit riding surfboard on calm ocean with rocky hills in background.
Sport

Maryam El Gardoum is breaking new shores for Morocco’s indigenous surfers

The Amazigh Atlantic — Through her groundbreaking career and popular surf school, the five-time Moroccan champion is helping women find their places in the waves.

Written by: Sam Haddad

Dimly lit underground carpark, long winding corridor with concrete walls, floor, and pipes above.
Activism

Youth violence’s rise is deeply concerning, but mass hysteria doesn’t help

Safe — On Knife Crime Awareness Week, writer, podcaster and youth worker Ciaran Thapar reflects on the presence of violent content online, growing awareness about the need for action, and the two decades since Saul Dibb’s Bullet Boy.

Written by: Ciaran Thapar

Colourful embroidered jackets worn by two people, with skateboarder visible in background. Bright colours and graphic designs on the clothing.
Sport

Volcom teams up with Bob Mollema for the latest in its Featured Artist Series

True to This — The boardsports lifestyle brand will host an art show in Biarritz to celebrate the Dutch illustrators’ second capsule collection.

Written by: Huck

Black and white image showing a group of shirtless men socialising, some laughing.
Culture

A visual trip through 100 years of New York’s LGBTQ+ spaces

Queer Happened Here — A new book from historian and writer Marc Zinaman maps scores of Manhattan’s queer venues and informal meeting places, documenting the city’s long LGBTQ+ history in the process.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Four persons - three women and one man - posing outdoors. The women are wearing elaborate clothing and jewellery.
Culture

Nostalgic photos of everyday life in ’70s San Francisco

A Fearless Eye — Having moved to the Bay Area in 1969, Barbara Ramos spent days wandering its streets, photographing its landscape and characters. In the process she captured a city in flux, as its burgeoning countercultural youth movement crossed with longtime residents.

Written by: Miss Rosen

A person wearing a black cap and holding a sign that says "What made me"
Music

Tony Njoku: ‘I wanted to see Black artists living my dream’

What Made Me — In this series, we ask artists and rebels about the forces and experiences that shaped who they are. Today, it’s avant-garde electronic and classical music hybridist Tony Njoku.

Written by: Tony Njoku

Huck is supported by our readers, subscribers and Club Huck members. It is also made possible by sponsorship from:

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.