Monika Merva received her B.A in Philosophy from Northeastern University Boston, Mass in 1992 and her MFA in Photography from Savannah College of Art & Design in 1998. Her most recent work, Origins of an Emotion shown bellow will be on display at the Blue Sky Gallery in Portland, Oregon this evening, February 5th. If you are in the area be sure to stop by! In addition, she will be giving an artist talk on Saturday, February 7, 3:00 PM. Monika’s work has been exhibited in the U.S and internationally. Her photographs are in numerous collections such as; The George Eastman House, The Museum of Fine Arts Houston, the Johnson and Johnson Corporate Art Collection, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY among others.
Origins of Emotions
“In contemplating this series, I am confronted with the uneasy sense that this body of work is as much about beginnings as it is about endings, life and death. It is about securing my own memories and capturing an image of the people and moments that have given shape to my life. Equally, it is about the awareness of how an image marks the last vestige of that moment in time: a memory captured and a moment disintegrated at the same utterance.
Making photographs allows me to contextualize my faith in the world. My images are intended to provoke the viewer to search and feel out the fleeting and foundational present of their own lives. To live is to hold hope and faith in our minds and hearts, to go forward in life despite the inevitability of death at its end. My intention is to make images that compel the viewer to reflect and deepen his or her own understanding of the world, to look intently and intimately at one’s surroundings and relationships. I photograph subjects that are quiet, yet evoke an emotional intensity.”
To view more of Monika’s work please visit her website.