Bio

Ariela (she/her) is a photographer based in Vancouver, BC, on the unceded land of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) First Nations. Born and raised in Manila, Philippines, her early curiosity for how things work earned her a reputation as a budding chemist.

Although she explored various fields, including Chemistry, her true passion has always been photography. Her love for cameras and gear is profound and for her, film photography perfectly melds science and art.

During the pandemic, taking photos became integral to her daily life: noticing, seeing, and observing. Self-taught in analogue photography, she now owns a diverse camera collection and has set up a small art studio. She also spent time learning black and white print-making methods: silver gelatin with Philip Grey at Darkroom London, as well as Piezographic inkjet and Malde-Ware platinum-palladium with John Cone at Cone Editions. Currently, she is working on bookbinding projects after taking a masterclass with John DeMerritt.

After working in food safety and building a successful food business in Vancouver, she is spending most of her time on personal projects, while working on self-publishing more photo books. 

Artist Statement

I'm a young artist from the Philippines, now living in Vancouver. I specialize in documentary and street photography, using film photography as my primary medium. 

Ultimately, my art is an expression of love for the outside world: the familiar, the foreign, the faces, and the stories that connect us, crossing boundaries and revealing the shared humanity that unites us. I notice and cherish the beauty of everyday life.