Autor: Mara Bratoš
Curator: Jelena Tamindžija Donnart
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Mara Bratoš' Lopud portraits
were created over the course of 25 years, documenting the Mediterranean
coming-of-age of a young girl from the island of Lopud. The project
explores female strength and the authenticity of growing up on the
island of Lopud.
Three series of works by Mara
Bratoš - from 1998, 2003 and 2023 - depict the transformation of society
and the region itself, through the personal story of a girl and her own
transformation within that society. It is a story that has a particular
resonance in the Mediterranean region, where leaving home in search of a
better life has resulted in numerous abandoned villages and islands on
the coast. Therefore, the connection that is established here at the
level of photographing and recording the subject, a young girl at the
time and a mature, adult woman today, is important. Women have
traditionally been seen as passive observers of major historical events,
victims who bear the burden of care, but the subject captured here
represents a transformation, someone who has seen and experienced what
is happening to her family first hand. The subject here symbolizes a
woman in a Mediterranean region who suffers the sacrifice of her family
and turns from a passive observer into an active participant in society,
fighting for community values.
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On display until August 1st
