ARTIST STATEMENT
In photographing the female influences in my life, these images serve as my own exploration of the notion of girlhood through a genderqueer lens. “Girlfriends” allows me to understand the nuances of my relationships with women and how these aspects transcend the restrictive idea that girlhood is only applicable to cis women. Through this connection, I am able to directly experience, and thus share my experience in existing within the accepting space that girlhood seeks to create. The love shared by these individuals is not exclusive, nor has it ever intended to be. Girlhood is indicative of the love my friends have for each other all while understanding the female experience, regardless of personal identity.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Bell Luna Powers is an interdisciplinary artist currently based in Philadelphia, PA. They were born and raised in Northern New Jersey where they began experimentation with lens-based practices during childhood. Powers continues this experimentation in Tyler School of Art and Architecture at Temple University where they are studying to receive their BFA in Photography with a minor in Art History. Powers has a concentration in film photography with a recent interest in poetry and alternative process to bridge the gap between the archival nature of film and the fallible nature of memory. They study the impermanence of memory, existentialism, relationship dynamics, and the queer experience. Powers uses their work to immortalize moments encountered in daily life; fleeting softness, gratitude, and introspection, often overlooked.
© Bell Luna Powers