Professional Practice in Photography

Descriere

This intensive 3-hour masterclass with curator and artistic director Marina Paulenka offers emerging and mid-career photographers a focused insight into professional practice, presentation, and career development in contemporary photography. Participants will gain practical strategies for presenting, promoting, and positioning their work in galleries, festivals, and other professional contexts. The session is designed to combine theoretical insights with practical, actionable advice. By the end of the masterclass, participants will have a clearer understanding of how to strategically present and promote their work, as well as a roadmap for engaging with institutions, festivals, and funding opportunities internationally. What you will learn/do • How to prepare and edit a professional portfolio for different purposes • Conceptual approaches and alternative formats for presenting work in exhibitions • Building a strong artist statement, CV, and professional online presence • Opportunities for financing, grants, awards, and institutional exposure • Strategies for communicating one’s practice effectively to curators, juries, and audiences Masterclass details This masterclass is destined for any emerging or mid-career artist who works with photography. The maximum number of participants is 15. About the lecturer Based in Berlin and originally from Croatia, Marina Paulenka brings over 18 years of experience in artistic direction, curating, education, leadership, management, and cultural development—alongside her own artistic practice. Her work spans contemporary visual, digital, and performing arts, with a specialization in photography and new media. Across these roles and mediums, she consistently pushes boundaries, provokes critical dialogue, and engages with urgent global concerns. In 2008, she founded Organ Vita Festival (Zagreb) and managed it until 2019 when she became the artistic director of the photography fair UNSEEN in Amsterdam. In 2022, Marina became the Founding Director of Fotografiska Berlin where she defined its artistic vision, institutional strategy and the public identity of the museum. Drawing on her post-Yugoslav and Balkan heritage, Paulenka’s curatorial approach is rooted in rich cultural histories and complex socio-political realities. She engages deeply with feminism, identity, gender, human rights, and social justice, as well as the politics of the body, digital representation, and the sociocultural impact of cyberspace.