Photonic Moments 2014: Marina Paulenka
© Marina Paulenka
About This Exhibition: Witnesses
The documentary project ‘Witnesses’ depicts the life of a religious community of Jehovah’s Witnesses, who have over 5600 members in Croatia. Through images of religious meetings, conferences, everyday life and life at the headquarters of the Bethel voluntary service I try to depict the, to most unknown, organization of a community united in a large international fraternity. Their teachings are strictly based on the Bible, and individual preaching and teaching of others using their numerous publications are a significant part of the community.
I spent eight months with the organization in their everyday activities. They have built their own world in which they live and work, which is constructed in a certain way with their picture of reality, and the world as it should be according to Jehovah's teachings.
Jehovah's Witnesses aren't well accepted in the wider community and have difficulty integrating into society. I tried to get photographs of their enclosed world. With this photography project I want to show that kind of containment and perfect organization, the faith and the power of human belief.
Portfolio: Witness
Biography
Marina was born in Vinkovci, Croatia, in 1985. She received a MA in Graphic Design from Faculty of Graphic Arts, University of Zagreb. Currently, she is in her final year at the MA photography program of the Cinematography Department at the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Zagreb. She is a member of the artists’ associations HDLU (Croatian Association of Visual Artists) and HDD (Croatian Association of Designers). She participates in the organization of the International Festival of Photography Organ Vida and Open Show Zagreb. She has exhibited in numerous exhibitions in Croatia and abroad: Germany, Serbia, BiH, France, UK, Belgium,... Lives and works in Zagreb,
Website:
www.marinapaulenka.com
All material, text and images, are under © of the photographer and VASA.