Midsummer Sisterhood at Rotterdam Photo 2022
Photos by Julia Gat
The 2022 edition of Rotterdam Photo Festival was unique - due to COVID-19 regulations the organizers couldn't have exhibited the works of the participants selected for the 2021 edition, so they decided to combine the 2021 and 2022 editions into one big XL event. Originally planned for February 2022, eventually took place in May, also due to COVID-19 regulations.
For me the most important was that I got a chance to show my project Midsummer Sisterhood in front of the large audience in a printed form for the first time ever.
The theme of 2022 edition: "Human Blueprint" felt perfectly aligned with what I want to say through Midsummer Sisterhood: instead of seeing humanity and nature as opposites, we should see it as one.
Because I see Midsummer Sisterhood as a dialogue rather than a monologue, it was very important for me to accompany the photos with written statements I got from women who either wanted to participate or eventually did join the photo shoot.
To invite the audience of Rotterdam Photo Festival to join the conversation I put up a wall, where they could answer questions like: ""How do you feel in your body?", "Midsummer Sisterhood means to me:", "Nature and we are...", "What do you feel when you look at these photos?"
I was truly moved by some of the answers and the conversations I had with the visitors. I decided to share some of them here with you.
