Arielle Bobb-Willis was 14 when she moved from New York to South Carolina. The transition of moving down South from a bustling metropolis was rough, and took a toll on her mental health. But, at her new school, she found at least one source of reprieve: a digital imaging class. There, she learned Photoshop, photography, and how to use art as a coping mechanism for her depression."I didn’t have the right resources to get through such a big change at a young age so I eventually developed depression and depersonalization," Bobb-Willis tells Broadly. "My history teacher saw how happy photography made me, so he gave me my first film camera and from then I’ve been hooked! When I first started out I was inspired by how photography allows you to have control over the moments in your day."
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Photo courtesy of Arielle Bobb-Willis
Shooting vibrant color scales in saturated light, the young talent developed a style inspired by African-American painters Jacob Lawrence and Benny Andrews. Bobb-Willis uses monochromatic thrift store clothing, diverse models, and bright light to set abstract scenes that explore human movement.
Photo courtesy of Arielle Bobb-Willis
"Someone once told me that after a depressive episode, color is one of the first things that come back to you," Bobb-Willis says. "I’m constantly searching for moments throughout my day that are calming yet vibrant. I’m attracted to those moments of color and light because for a very long time I forgot that that kind of imagery or even that reality was out there. My work now is me accepting that playfulness into my life and I feel really proud of it all."
Photo courtesy of Arielle Bobb-Willis