A tour of the ex-Soviet enclave of Transnistria, between the Dniester River and the Ukraine, is what Hanna Jarzabek ((1976, Poland) proposes in ‘Out of the Map-Transnistria’, the proposal that won the first prize of the XX Photography Prize of the University of Murcia, which can be enjoyed at Espacio Los Molinos del Río until March 12. Jarzabek presented this series of photographs in which we see some children from a school in Dubasari, an orphanage in the town of Ciobruci, heaven on the profile of Tiraspol, a picture of the Dniester river or Ievdonija Filinovja, a veteran of the battle of Stalingrad, heavily loaded with heavy medals.
What is Transnistria? Where is this place that we only know, a priori, that it is on the margin? How do you live in a country that does not exist on any map of the world? Transnistria is an autonomous territorial unit with a special legal status, located in a narrow strip along the Nistru River. It has a government, currency, passport, borders and armed forces, but it is not a state recognized by the international community, although Russia has always dispensed generous aid and benefits to its inhabitants.
More than 30 years ago, it broke away from Moldova to preserve its Russian language and identity, and now, under the threat of Russian invasion of Ukraine, this place has come back to the fore. The work of Jarzabek, passionate about documentary photography and political scientist with experience in projects in post-Soviet regions [ha investigado cuestiones relacionadas con la construcción de la identidad nacional y las consecuencias del colapso de la Unión Soviética], is prior to the current crisis, but serves to delve into a reality, the feeling of belonging to the Russian orbit. Who supplies the gas without demanding payment? Putin. Who supports business development, renovates and builds public buildings and hospitals? Putin. Who offers scholarships for students? Who pays part of pensions to pensioners of Transnistria? Putin’s Russia.
More than 30 years ago, it broke away from Moldova to preserve its Russian language and identity, and now, under the threat of Russian invasion of Ukraine, it has returned to the fore.
This series could already be seen in Madrid, at the EFTI photography school, where Hanna Jarzabek commented in 2019 that Transnistrians “in general consider themselves patriots and claim to love their country. However, the lack of work pushes many to emigrate –especially to Russia– and little by little the country is depopulating, leaving behind children and grandparents. For those who remain, the problem of identity begins to recede into the background. The politicians, even if they maintain the separatist discourse, prefer rather to strengthen economic exchanges with Moldova. As some interviewees say: ‘Business is business’. With identity you do not fill your belly ».
Other projects
This edition of the UMU photography contest, organized jointly with La Cámara Roja (Silvia Marte and David de Flores), endowed with 1,200 euros, received 135 proposals with a total of 274 photographs. In addition to Hanna Jarzabek’s photos, honorable mentions were given by Jordi Jon Pardo Acebedo, for his work ‘Árida’; Julia González Liébana, for ‘Mujeres’; Sergio Ferreira Ruiz, for ‘The Trapped Light’, and Pilar García Merino, for ‘Metrópolis XXI’. The works of Ana Ferrándiz Pascual, from Alcoy; the alguaceña Helena García-Pinar; Imaginary Design (Carmen Cervera from Murcia); Pepe Incha (Guadalupe, Murcia); Toya Legido (Madrid), who does superb work on flowers from another world; Elena Sol (Santiago de la Ribera, Sana Javier); Stübig (Paterna, Valencia); Julieta Varela (Churra, Murcia); Rocío Verdú Ríos (Madrid) and her images below zero; and Manuel Zamora Bernal (Nonduermas, Murcia), who presents a series about the magical garden, with traditional houses built on trees.
From the series ‘Mujeres’, by Leonese Julia González Liébana, who before being captivated by the magic of silver halides and developers wanted to be a painter, curator Amando Casado pointed out that the artist uses photographic language “as an expression of poetic thought to surround, approach and reveal human experiences shared by the common feeling of women and their relationship, not always easy, with society». Women who are still victims of discrimination in the world, and to whom, through the art of portraiture, this professional gives voice.
Jarzabek: «’Business is business. With your identity you don’t fill your belly’, as some say»
Sergio Ferreira Ruiz, a photographer born in Casablanca but living in Cartagena since childhood, is a graduate in visual arts and photography from the University of Elche. Awarded for other works with prestigious international competitions (Discovery Of The Year 2021 / Architecture Category / ND Photography Awards), he signs a series of works on architecture that are seductively disturbing, an immersion in the world of forms, with the stalking of nature surrounding: Who wins?
In the category of Exhibition Photographic Production, the first prize went to ‘Presencio & The Rural Kids’, belonging to Virginia López Díaz (Virginia Villacisla), from Burgos, a project that will be produced by La Cámara Roja.