The word “origins” refers both to my own source, my family, and to my discovery of the power of making pictures. I search for the beauty in the ordinary, the melodies in the commonplace. I photograph subjects that are quiet yet evoke an emotional intensity. I am fascinated by the universality of the individual, and look to capture in pictures the thing that hooks me into my subject. A photograph exists within it’s own context, just like a memory. Looking intently and intimately at my own surroundings and relationships, my intention is to make images that have the power to reflect and deepen the viewer’s own relationship to the world. Ultimately, my photographs are an investigation made out of love for the individual and the medium.
Monika Merva (b. 1969) received her B.A in Philosophy from Northeastern University and her MFA in Photography from Savannah College of Art & Design in 1998. Her project The City of Children was awarded second place under photojournalism in the PX3 2009 Competition. The monograph, The City of Children (Kehrer Verlag, 2010), was a finalist in this year’s The Pictures of the Year International Awards, and The City of Children was selected by Alexa Becker of Kehrer Verlag as one of the Discoveries of The Meeting Place. Her most recent work, Origins of an Emotion was selected for the Fresh Klompching Gallery’s Annual Summer Show. It is also the cover story in the last issue of HotShoe International. She has been exhibited in the U.S and internationally. Her photographs are in the collections of The George Eastman House, The Museum of Fine Arts Houston, the Johnson and Johnson Corporate Art Collection.
The Origins of an Emotion
October 19 – November 4, 2012
“Technopolis“ of the City of Athens
Pireos 100, Gazi
Athens, Greece
Hours: Monday-Friday 17:00-22:00, Saturday-Sunday 12:00-22:00
