ainsley elizabeth tharp  is a Bay Area(Ohlone land) based alchemist+artist+activist.

she grew up in a small Texas town called Victoria(Karankawas land), she carries with her influence from catholic school, celtic folklore, mexican/tijuana culture, and white southern trailer trash. She’s a multimedia witch working to build new systems and queer futures as an artist and collaborator. She creates visual alchemy as performance using various modes and media, such as movement, magic, ritual, video, projection, lighting, and the sculpting of readymade objects. Her work is queer, transcends boundaries and norms, and surpasses the conventional yes and no. She has performed internationally worked with various artists such as Sara Shleton Mann, nathaniel moore, gizeh muñiz vengal, Keith Hennessy, Kathleen Hermsdorf, Kim Ip, estrellx supernova, Stephanie Hewett, Juliet Paramor, Clarissa Dyas Rivera, NAKA Dance Theater, and Tori Lawerence & Co. ainsley most recently was awarded the Impulstanz DanceWeb Scholarship, the ARC seed residency at CounterPulse, and The Community Engagement Residency with Bridge Live Arts, and the Rainin New and Experimental work grant.

ainsley has embodied and shown commitment to social justice through organizing in public art and climate justice. She continues to work towards creating and organizing low-income accessible art access spaces. She is currently organizing and teaching with the ˈɡaT͟H(ə)riNGs class series with her collaborator gizeh muñiz vengal a community run donation based dance class series.  She is also a part of the curatorial & organizational team for KH FRESH FESTIVAL 24 a festival the centers queerness,QTBIPOC, and also prioritizes donation based access to workshops and performances.

project description:

We guide the audience into a nauseating fantastical world exploring themes of sex, femininity, desire, play, gender, and power through the idea of “daddy.” “daddy” is patriarchy, father figure, $$$, the doorway to the subconscious and more. We pull from our experiences with sex work, class privilege, and our dads.

https://www.instagram.com/ain_eliz_tharp/