Upon the passing of my parents, inherited boxes and boxes of things that ranged from a sundry of family pictures, spanning back to the 1800’s, to a wide variety of objects, including art and my grandmother’s cooking fork have filled closets and my garage. Feeling the responsibility to preserve my family history in a meaningful way, I came up with the aesthetic concept of beautifully photographing these objects. I feel a deep satisfaction in this artwork as my heritage bridges to my present, merging our family roots with the visual exploration through time and generations that such material culture has afforded us.
Born in Norfolk, Virginia, Niles formative years were spent living in small, southern towns in Virginia and North Carolina. Inspired by the heritage of these locales, she developed deep-seated southern roots that richly inform her photography practice with visual storytelling. Niles celebrates the diverseness of the human spirit, appreciating those qualities that make us delightfully unique, yet connected in many ways, particularly through shared experiences and preserved visual memories. Her book, What Lies With, received recognition from Elizabeth Avedon as best photography book of 2021
