About the artwork
Arielle Bobb-Willis
Left to right: New Jersey, New Jersey 01, and New Jersey 02, 2017–2019
Dimensions(h x w x d): 30" x 24"
Digital prints
Located in Vanport Building,
second floor lounge outside room 264
Inspired by masters like Jacob Lawrence and Benny Andrews, Arielle Bobb-Willis applies a ‘painterly’ touch to her photography by documenting people in compromising and disjointed positions as way to highlight these complexities. Toeing the line between fashion and contemporary art, her use of bright vivid colors 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.
About the artist
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. She is currently based in Los Angeles.
See more of Bobb-Willis's work on her website.
This work was acquired through Oregon's Percent for Art in Public Places Program, managed by the Oregon Arts Commission.
Banner image by Arielle Bobb-Willis.