These three photos are in somewhat chronological order: the first, “Seeing Double” is of a girl looking in the mirror at herself whilst another is held next to her, the second, “if only” is of two girls of two different races holding hands and lights wrap their hands, and the third, “Uniform March” is of a collective bunch of youth walking to the front of The Blake School to stand in line to protest gun violence in response to the school shootings and March For Our Lives. The first photo, as explained in context, demonstrates youth being pulled a certain way by society and youth being pulled a certain way by themselves, so they can never truly find that balance because they are busy trying to find themselves in the midst of all these pressures. The second photo, shows the power of love and connection, that youth seem to, according to mainstream media, understand and act upon more easily. Once we stop seeing each other as black and white, as Muslim and Christian, as gay and straight, once we get rid of these barriers, we can become what is depicted in the picture. The third photo, depicts the beauty of youth and how they band together in times that call for them, without regard for race or religion or sexual orientation or gender identity. It truly is beautiful what we can do when we get rid of all the barriers keeping us apart. This series is called “Youth: Explained in Photos”, and it explores youth, the pressure we are put under, the special bonds we make, and the actions we take to make a change.
About the artist: Louise Ba was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota and still resides there. She is a junior at The Blake School and is very passionate about the arts. Her works have been published in Flash magazine, and Spectrum newspaper (both based at The Blake School) as well as The Bluffton Literary Journal.
