2nd place
silver star award
Marta Kochanek
title
Lovyer
Love is what motivates us in life. Brain science tells us it's a drive like thirst. The ancient Greeks called love “the madness of the gods”. Modern psychologists define it as the strong desire for emotional union with another person.
We dig deep into brain science, physics and psychology to understand what drives us to name the emotions, to describe feelings. We are desperate to find it, experience, cherish and keep. Some people beg for love, some pay for it and some are just lucky to find it.
For her new Lov’yer project Marta portrayed seven relationships that are formed by both majority and minority of the whole population that occupies this globe. She contrasted old and young, curvy and slim, black and white, straight and gay. Following her research she finds it fascinating to observe and read about lovers, cougars, sugar daddies, gigolos, adorers, secret admirers and cohabitants. She realized that what happens to be silly to majority can be normal to minority. What is obscene to millions can truly be a blessing to the others. What can be a blessing to ones can also be a motive for hate or crime for the others.
Photography has become a medium that let Marta express her analytical observations, dreams and fantasies. Her never-ending fascination of people and shapes body can create as well as her ability to create and apply moody, thoughtful and eye-catching light pushed her forward to succeed in Fine Art Photography that she simply call her ‘soul-feeder’.
During her continuing career, Marta was offered the opportunity to spearhead a large, independent archival project for Annie Leibovitz in New York in 2011. She then joined the Production Team and assisted Ms Leibovitz on set for shoots for Vogue and Vanity Fair. Her photographs have been shown several times in both group and solo exhibitions, including Mall Galleries in London, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, the MAC - Birmingham, as well as Verge Art Brooklyn and Leslie & Lohman Museum in New York. In 2014, Marta was invited to join the Daegu Biennial in South Korea. In August 2016 her Cognitive Bodies series won her an entrance to Berlin Photo Biennale.
back to gallery
entry description
The history of humanity registered hundreds of thousands of romances and mésalliances of all kinds. The world witnesses love between people of all nationalities and races. This planet gave the room to those attracted to people of the same, opposite and both genders. It’s how this world is constructed. It’s how it always was.Love is what motivates us in life. Brain science tells us it's a drive like thirst. The ancient Greeks called love “the madness of the gods”. Modern psychologists define it as the strong desire for emotional union with another person.
We dig deep into brain science, physics and psychology to understand what drives us to name the emotions, to describe feelings. We are desperate to find it, experience, cherish and keep. Some people beg for love, some pay for it and some are just lucky to find it.
For her new Lov’yer project Marta portrayed seven relationships that are formed by both majority and minority of the whole population that occupies this globe. She contrasted old and young, curvy and slim, black and white, straight and gay. Following her research she finds it fascinating to observe and read about lovers, cougars, sugar daddies, gigolos, adorers, secret admirers and cohabitants. She realized that what happens to be silly to majority can be normal to minority. What is obscene to millions can truly be a blessing to the others. What can be a blessing to ones can also be a motive for hate or crime for the others.
about the photographer
Marta Kochanek is a multi – award Commercial and Fine Art Photographer. Her creative talents were firstly expressed in the form of human – sized sculptures as well as small and very detailed designs of perfume bottles she precisely shaped with a scalpel in her hand. It is where Marta’s attention to detail developed.Photography has become a medium that let Marta express her analytical observations, dreams and fantasies. Her never-ending fascination of people and shapes body can create as well as her ability to create and apply moody, thoughtful and eye-catching light pushed her forward to succeed in Fine Art Photography that she simply call her ‘soul-feeder’.
During her continuing career, Marta was offered the opportunity to spearhead a large, independent archival project for Annie Leibovitz in New York in 2011. She then joined the Production Team and assisted Ms Leibovitz on set for shoots for Vogue and Vanity Fair. Her photographs have been shown several times in both group and solo exhibitions, including Mall Galleries in London, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, the MAC - Birmingham, as well as Verge Art Brooklyn and Leslie & Lohman Museum in New York. In 2014, Marta was invited to join the Daegu Biennial in South Korea. In August 2016 her Cognitive Bodies series won her an entrance to Berlin Photo Biennale.
back to gallery
