Bio
Nur Aishah Kenton is a Singapore-born, Malay-Australian photographer, artist, and educator whose work is deeply rooted in her own experiences of migration and cultural identity.
Growing up navigating multiple cultures has profoundly shaped Aishah’s artistic vision. She employs photography, archival materials, and installation to weave together personal histories and broader narratives, often using collaborative and participatory methods. Aishah’s multidimensional practice bridges conceptual and documentary approaches and invites viewers to reflect on their own identities while exploring themes of history and belonging.
Aishah’s work has been recognised with several grants, commissions, and awards. She was a finalist in the Maggie Diaz Photography Prize for Women (2017) and has received accolades in the National Portrait Prize (2024), Australian Life (2024) and Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Prize (2024). In 2022 Aishah was featured in the British Journal of Photography’s One’s to Watch and participated in the Magnum Photography Lab.
Aishah seeks to share stories that resonate on a human level, inviting audiences to engage with the rich tapestry of cultural narratives that shape our world.
Aishah grew up in Kuala Lumpur and is an alumni of the Australian National University in Canberra with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (2018), where she majored in photography at the School of Art and Design and graduated with an Emerging Artist Award in collaboration with Goulburn Regional Art Gallery.
Aishah is one half of KENTON/DAVEY and co-director of Pacific Centre for Photographic Arts.
Aishah is available for photography commissions.
Solo Exhibitions
2024 Today/Tomorrow, Photo 2024, State Parilament of Victoria, VIC
2020 One Another, Contour 556 / Canberra’s Public Art Biennial, ACT
2020 Second Exit, Goulburn Regional Art Gallery, NSW
2019 Tributary @ Pilot, ACT
2018 ANU School of Art & Design Graduation Exhibition, ACT.
2018 Mt Fuji & Everything Else, Eden Road Wines, Murrumbateman, NSW
2017 Inside/Outside, The Photography Room, ACT
Group Exhibitions
2024 Photo Trophy 2024, Hilvale, VIC
2023 Tones Of Home, Arts Projects Australia, VIC
2022 Acts I-VII, Oculi, Photo 2022 Festival, VIC
2022 Never So Visible, Northsite Contemporary Arts, QLD
2021 What I know to be true, and other encounters, PhotoAccess, ACT
2021 Another thing to look at while you’re out getting groceries, Hilvale, VIC
2019 Her / A Female Anthology, Brunswick Street Galley, VIC
2019 Backyard exhibition, ACT
2019 Herstory M16, ACT
2018 Keep The Fire Burning: Celebrating Five Years of Hillvale, VIC
Mt Fuji & Everything Else (Points of View: Artists in the landscape),
TPR Gallery, ACT
2017 Maggie Diaz Photography Prize for Women, Brightspace Gallery, VIC
2017 Backyard exhibition, ACT.
Awards/Selected
2024 Finalist, Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Photography Award, AUS
2024 Finalist, Australia Life Photography Prize 2024, City of Sydney, AUS
2024 Finalist, National Portrait Prize 2024, AUS
2024 Selected Netflix Photography Unit Stills Bootcamp, AUS/US
2022 Selected, Photo 2022 Magnum Photo Lab, US/AUS
2022 Selected, British Journal of Photography (BJP), One’s to Watch, UK
2022 Selected, Young Bright Things, Monster Children, Australia/USA
2020 Longlisted for Foam Talent Call, Amsterdam, Netherlands
2020 Finalist, CLIP Landscape Award, Perth Centre For Photography, AUS
2020 Recipient, CHICO Hot Springs Portfolio Review, USA
2018 Recipient, EASS (Emerging Artist Support Scheme), ANU, ACT
2017 Finalist, Maggie Diaz Photography Prize for Women.
Other
2024 Workshop Facilitator, Linden New Art
2023, Panel, Aishah Kenton & John Feely, Australian Photography Awards
2023 Judge, Australian Photography Awards
2022 Guest Lecturer, Photography Studies College
Curatorial
2023-24 Photo 2024 Commission with State Parliament Victoria, VIC
2022 Acts I-VII, Oculi, Photo 2022 Festival, VIC, In Collaboration with
Natasha Christie
2021 -22 Never So Visible, NorthSite Contemporary Arts, QLD
2018 Points of View: Artists in the landscape, TPR Gallery, ACT
Education
2018 Bachelor of Fine Art, Major Photomedia, Art History, Australian National University, ACT
Clients
Art Monthly Australasia, The Australian Financial Review, The Guardian, The National Library of Australia, State Library of Queensland, Wall Street Journal, ABC, and Airbnb, Netflix and more.