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, she brings a background in chemistry to her photographic work, blending technical process with artistic exploration.

Her work explores the intersection of science and art through analogue methods. While photography has long been her passion, her current focus is on what happens after the image is made: developing her practice through fine art printing and bookbinding. She has completed workshops in silver gelatin printing with  Philip Grey at Darkroom London, Piezographic inkjet and Malde-Ware platinum-palladium with  John Cone at Cone Editions, and drum leaf binding with John DeMerritt.

After working in food safety and building a successful food business in Vancouver, nowadays, Ariela is spending time at her studio creating prints and hand-bound books from her photographic work. 

Artist Statement

I am a Filipino artist based in Vancouver whose practice engages with documentary and street photography, primarily through the medium of film. My photographs begin as fleeting observations, but through the processes of printing and bookbinding, they are made into tangible objects that will last. By using historically rooted archival methods, I place importance in the role of human labor in transforming what is seen into what is held.  My practice is an inquiry into how photographs can embody intention, memory, and permanence through their material form.