Audrey Kouros Retrospective & Post-death healing

This campaign exists to provide financial support for therapeutic services for Audrey's sister Heather and closest friend Hannah in the wake of Audrey's unexpected death, which resulted from a sharp and unprecedented decline in her mental health right before her 37th birthday.

This gofundme also exists as a platform to fund Audrey's Retrospective Exhibition. Audrey's life will be celebrated with aerial arts, film and video, installation and visual art.

Because Audrey used both she and they pronouns we chose to alternate between the two in this piece of writing.

Audrey is survived by their beloved companion and best friend Hannah, their father Chris, step-mother Theresa, sister Heather, brother Thomas, step-brother Garrett, extended family, and many dear friends, co-workers, and community members. Audrey’s champions, her mother Laura, and mentor Suzanne died in 2002 and 2021 respectively.

Audrey burnt themselves onto the world with a focused intensity, channeling a tremendous power and will into everything they did. They were uncompromising in their wild, creative and singular expression of being. Not one bone in Audrey’s body could conform to any existent standards and they wore their defiance with joy, not bitterness. Once Audrey fixated on something they put all of themselves into it: studying dense war history, personal ethnographies of southern churches, or the extensive physical contortion required to master Ashtanga yoga. Their gaze was penetrating, constantly distilling and recreating the world around them.

While their teenage trajectory into the art world was cut short by events surrounding their mother’s death, Audrey created a prolific body of work. Their disciplines were expansive and explosive (sometimes even hard to keep track of). They were a visual artist, a textile artist and seamstress, a tattoo artist, a performance artist, a writer, a cake decorator and a reluctant yogi. Audrey made clothes for themselves and their sister, tattooed the bodies of friends, painted all night, and freaked out neighbors by practicing complicated aerial routines on the rig they set up in their backyard. Audrey was incredibly unsentimental about their artwork and did not build a personal collection. They gave their work away as gifts and sometimes intentionally destroyed what they had left. The collection we now have is pulled from scraps saved from family and friends who refused to see her art disappear.

Audrey had a childlike wonder and joy that existed in harmony with their depth and strength. The home they shared with Hannah was filled with contradictions and surprises - bright neon colors, shelves packed with weird toys and trinkets, Audrey's paintings, and smiley face lamps. Each object in their home had its own unique name and place in the family. Things were particular in their mess, intentional, and nothing was unseen or forgotten.

Audrey’s love was expansive and inclusive. Audrey loved garish spandex and ice cream and trash and Audrey loved going to the state fair. Audrey loved antique malls and dance parties with her sister and Audrey loved Hannah. She loved being alive and being on the constant ride of adventure and silliness.

Audrey worked full-time as a cake decorator at the Whole Foods in Durham. Perhaps Audrey iced your child’s birthday cake with their favorite colorful designs in the chilly background of the bakery. How you brought this cake to a picnic table with condensation gathering on its sticky chocolate skin, and how it was soon eaten, quickly and happily, by a group of small children, is representative of Audrey's presence in the world.

The point is, that while Audrey was a private person, their art was the art of the people. Their artwork existed among people without asking for anything in return. Their art was unexpected, generous, and often unglamorous. And while there wasn't a venue for Audrey’s art, it persisted like a force of nature without much space to grow - it shimmied through the cracks and sprung up along the sidewalks we walked past. In the process, Audrey gave in everyday ways. As a result, it made the world we live in better.

Financial support is requested for healing modalities and therapy needed around the trauma incurred as a result of Audrey’s passing. This is Heather's second close experience with suicide and the loss has been devastating for Hannah.

Money is also needed to cover the costs associated with Audrey’s Retrospective Exhibition, which will include unseen original artwork, recent obsessions, reproduction of work and a host of other beautiful surprises. The date for the exhibition is September 3rd.

Please consider donating in Audrey's memory so their life may be celebrated to the fullest. Consider donating so processing of Audrey's passing may be possible and be as tender as possible for us.

Additionally: We're putting out a call for Audrey's artwork to friends and family who may have kept it. If you have any of Audrey’s work and are interested in contributing please send photos, scans or anything relevant to Audrey’s sister Heather- [email redacted]. Items can also be mailed to her address at 4210 Linden Rd. Durham, NC 27705.

Thank you so much for your support!

to check out Audrey's movement art instagram CLICK

to check out Audrey's instagram snapshots CLICK