Saudade
“Photography is often linked to memory as an issue of its failure. While the question of what is missing or what cannot be seen in photographs emphasizes what might be called a negative relation to memory, this nevertheless obscures the productive role of photographic images within culture as mnemonic devices.”
Bate, D. (2010) The Memory of Photography. Photographies
The meaning of the word 'Saudade' conveys a deep emotional state of nostalgic longing, often accompanied by a sense of melancholy and an intense desire for something or someone absent. It's a complex mix of emotions that encompasses longing, yearning, and a bittersweet remembrance of the past. The focus of deep emotions reflected in this work comes from reflecting on the Croatian War of Independence. The war started in 1991 and ended in 1995. The parents of the photographer were 7 and 8 years old when the war started. Being a child during a war was a traumatic period to live through, but they were always protected by family and the Croatian army.
This project began when the photographer noticed how TV and other Croatian media would still discuss the disaster that occurred, while her family would not talk about it much. All the information about the war that the photographer has learned comes from school and the media. Only now has she noticed that her family didn’t want to share their trauma with her so that she would feel safe and have a better childhood. Even after 31 years, they still carry their fears with them, afraid to share them.
With the collage she made and use of the family archive, the photographer wanted to recreate the secondhand memory she has of the war and to fill in those gaps that are missing.
