Born and raised in New York City, with pit stops in South Carolina and New Orleans, photographer Arielle Bobb-Willis has been using the camera for nearly a decade as a tool of empowerment. Battling with depression from an early age, Bobb-Willis found solace behind the lens and has developed a visual language that speaks to the complexities of life: the beautiful, the strange, belonging, isolation, and connection. Inspired by masters like Jacob Lawrence and Benny Andrews, Bobb-Willis applies a ‘painterly’ touch to her photography by documenting people in compromising and disjointed positions as to highlight these complexities.

Toting the line between fashion and contemporary art, her use of is therapeutic and speaks to a desire to claim power and joy in moments of sadness, confusion or confinement. Her photographs are all captured in urban and rural cities, from the South to North, East to West. Bobb-Willis travels throughout the US as a way of finding ‘home’ in any grassy knoll, or city sidewalk, reminding us to stay connected and grounded during life’s transitional moments.

Gem Fletcher talks to Arielle Bobb-Willis about her relationship to the medium, facing adversity and the realities of being a young image-maker working today.

https://ariellebobbwillis.com/

@ariellebobbwillis

Recorded in London, UK

Edited by John Webb

Music by Judd Greenstein – Change from Awake

Design by Ruby Wight

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