2020 Fridays | Anja Papuga | Documentary Photography | 2020

2020 Fridays
Anja Papuga 

Description: In 2020, the year of COVID-19, I documented cyclists in Ljubljana who were protesting against the oppressive government restrictions. It was a call to action for freedom and human rights. The protests were very peaceful, and I felt strongly connected to everyone. There were no signs of aggression in the air.

I think every war leaves traces on many generations after. I have never experienced war, but my grandma has. She witnessed horror crimes that happened in Yugoslavia. Since I was little, she had been telling me those stories. Her memories are still imprinted in me.
Protests may be small steps of resistance, but they are important. Every action is like a statement for democracy, which shows that people care for it. I strongly believe the only power lies in the collective. We need to stand together.



About the artist: Anja Papuga (1999, Ljubljana) is a photographer from Ljubljana. Through conceptually based photography, the artist explores archetypes, themes of femininity, and the female gaze, marked by a thoughtful sensibility that directs the gaze towards the depiction of ecofeminism. Her main interest revolves around human emotion, in which she finds rare beauty and her own artistic expression.