Mark Ashton (1960 - 1987)
Words and handkerchief by Ashtar Al Khirsan
How and where to begin with the story of Mark Ashton and his spirit guide, Mary Trashton?
Kinship, kindness, beauty, radical drag with an acid tongue and a withering look that could fell you from the other side of the room.
These shoes sat on the window sill at the flat we shared in the Elephant and Castle, perched next to the Communist Party banner. Mark was a proud mincer and a proud commie.
(Mark Ashton was a gay rights activist best known for co-founding the Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners Group in 1984 – The Keeper).
This artwork is part of the Wall of Sexual Heroes, a collaborative textile art piece featured in our previous exhibition at the Horse Hospital (2022) and Bow Arts Lab (2023).. All embroidered, printed and appliquéd handkerchiefs celebrate unsung heroes of sexual emancipation, activism and innovation.
The Wall is an organic work. If you would like to contribute, please get in touch with The Keeper.
