The projects of this year’s selected finalists deal with socially relevant stories and are mostly related to contemporary, socio-political questions and events in the East. Lek Kiatsirikajorn explores Thailand and the lives of workers who came to Bangkok in search for a better life which they can’t find. Daesung Lee, a Korean photographer currently based in France, indicates the changes affecting the island Ghoramara, which is disappearing more and more each year under the influence of climate change and rising sea levels. At the border of Nepal and India is the city Susta which is experiencing a similar fate due to its changes in the river flow, but the problematic of this story involves the antipathy between those two countries. This is illustrated by the project of Nepalese photographer Prasiit Sthapit. Frenchman Antoine Bruy and Russian Danila Tkachenko have set out on journeys in search for people who have completely changed their way of life and moved far away from cities and everything we call civilisation. The acquaintances they have made during their years of travelling have enabled them to see the people and the world in a new way. Italian Giovanni Cocco depicts an intimate story about his sister who was born with a traumatic brain injury during childbirth. Guy Martin, a British photographer, explores the influence of Turkish soap operas on the younger generations and the emancipation of women in Turkey. Egor Rogalev deals with the hopes and expectations of youth in the context of changes in the former Soviet Union. Bosnian photographer Mitar Simikić recalls difficult times spent in war and exile, while Alvaro Deprit dedicates his project to the research of his relatives in Andalusia.
Besides the ten finalists, Organ Vida will present five additional, specially commended projects. They are Willie Osterman (I am that), Alnis Stakle (Shangri-La), Olga Ingurazova (Scars of independence), Myriam Meloni (Behind the absence) and David Brunetti (Dreaming of Syria). Interestingly, a few years ago photographer and professor Willie Osterman was a guest lecturer at the Zagreb Academy of Dramatic Arts.
Over 200 projects from 34 countries were submitted to the Organ Vida contest. The contest was held from March 30 to June 8, and most of the applications came from Croatia, followed by the United Kingdom, United States and Italy.
The visitors will have two weeks to enjoy the projects because the 6th International festival of photography Organ Vida will last from September 26 to October 10, and it will be opened with an exhibition of this year’s finalists at the People and art house – Lauba. The festival program will take place at several other locations – Greta gallery, Lang and 512, Production: Kultura Aplauz (Mosor) and Dokukino. Information about the detailed program will be available soon.