Capturing POC in a kaleidoscope of hues

Photography by El!za

El!za, nurtured in a London home with Nigerian roots, developed an early aspiration to build upon POC talent. Drawing inspiration from figures such as Hype Williams, she has since fashioned her own realm of art, offering her version of POC life in an alluring light. "I used to spend hours watching MTV as a kid, watching Hype Williams videos from Supa Dupa Fly by Missy Elliot to What’s It Gonna Be by Busta Rhymes and Janet Jackson. I loved music videos, I still do - I would study the colour, movement and art direction & place it in my notebook or write how my perfect video or shoot would be. Although I was a kid, I knew I’d somehow draw the line with my love for music, fashion and art..." says Eliza.

How would you describe your style and what draws you to capture subjects/muses in that light?

You know what, I don’t know how I’d describe my style I think it evolves so much because it’s so deeply connected with my identity and I’m always changing as a person. I think though, I love capturing blackness through a new age of colors. Depicting my community how I see them. I think seeing them in different hues and light is so beautiful.

Do you always have a clear vision of what you want to capture in a shoot or does the creative direction sometimes change once you're on set?

It changes! I tend to go on shoots with a set idea but I know it can be bound to change - often times I’ll come into the studio and see the model and be like “hm change of plans, let’s try this” I find that so exciting - I don’t think my creative process is so rigid. It’s methodical but it’s also fluid.

What was the idea behind your most recent project "Smoke n M(errors)" and did you have any trouble executing it?

Smoke n M(errors) was such an interesting project - funnily enough the creative directors idea was to do a project on how capitalism has failed to contribute to mental health of the black community resulting in rebellion - which is an amazing idea. We felt though the styling didn’t quite align with the theme so we changed it up - it was so hard to find a location also but I think working with women - especially black women made this project so fun and incredible. The editing process was also awful - it took me five months!

It's quite easy, as viewers , to lose ourselves in your work because of how intimate everything feels, even if the overall vibe isn't meant to be heavily intimate. Is that an intentional play on your end?

That’s such a great question wow. And funnily enough it’s the opposite! I think when I was starting I wanted my work to just look good aesthetically but as I matured as an artist I wanted my work to be intimate. I wanted the consumers to not just look at my work and say “wow that’s cool” but “oh- what does this even mean?”

Is there anything new we should expect from you in the near future ?

The unexpected! I want to keep pushing and elevating my work - dabbling in new avenues which will be exciting. I will be collaborating with more artists and in depth projects that I’m so excited to share in the new year! As well as prints! But in a fun way ;) .