Maria Kapajeva

Photographer
A Portrait of the Artist as...
Location: London, UK
Nationality: Estonian
Biography: Estonian photographer based in the UK www.mariakapajeva.com
Public Story
A Portrait of the Artist as...
Copyright Maria Kapajeva 2024
Updated Jan 2016
Topics Aging, Arts, Community, Dreams, Feminism, Fine Art, Globalization, Migration, Personal, Photography, Portraiture, Youth

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Woman



"But I will tell you also what I do not fear. I do not fear to be alone or to be spurned for another or to leave whatever I have to leave. And I am not afraid to make a mistake, even a great mistake, a lifelong mistake, and perhaps as long as eternity too". (from A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce, 1916)

""""""“

I grew up in a culture where women were declared equal to men. This, however, applied to their jobs not to domestic duties, which remained exclusively the obligation of women. They hardly ever got to the top management positions but instead aimed to get happily married and dedicate themselves firstly to the families and then to their jobs. When photography came into my life, I began to realize that the myriad of possibilities and perspectives that it afforded were much more interesting than any dream of "˜marrying a prince'. With my move to the UK, I was lucky to meet women who shared my thoughts, were passionate about their careers, and wanted a freedom of choice in what they would aim in their lives. Most of these women have moved to a new country, as I have, not to get married, but to realize their own potential in whatever they do: write, draw, paint, photograph or invent. Working in collaboration with them, I try to find the ways to photograph each of them as a unique and strong personality in her own working environment. For me these women are my peers and represent a new generation of impassioned young intellectuals who are not afraid to undertake risks and break the rules. With this ongoing project I am interested to open debates on imagery of women in contemporary society in the context of the historical, cultural bias and the global changes we are each going through.


Ongoing project
LinkedIn Icon Facebook Icon Twitter Icon
788