Sullivan at Brunch (2022)

Ashley Martin-Prideaux

Sullivan at Brunch (2022)
Archival inkjet print.
16"x20"

Inspired by: 

Jim Martin (Great Grandpa, 1927-1970)

Virginia/Jim #1 (1950, reprint in 2023)
Silver gelatin print.
5"x7"

For a lot of my life, I had struggled with my relationship with my mom, with my identity as a queer person in rural America, and with who I wanted to be in this world. So, I moved in with my extended family when I was 17, and began a new life out West. Being a part of this non-traditional family helped me see that families can be anyone and everyone that loves each other. My family loved and supported me so much that I was able to learn to love myself in the process. 

Shortly after I started living with them, I began photographing the lives that we were living together. My work is inspired by my great grandfather, Jim, who was a photo engraver and photographer. Throughout his life, he worked at various presses making prints. He also liked photographing his immediate family, including my grandpa (his oldest son). His images and those made later by my grandfather have become a major influence in my process. I love seeing the similarities and differences in our approaches to image-making. A few years ago, my grandfather gave me all of his parents's negatives, so I've been printing them in the darkroom ever since.