With her photographs of humanity, the soul and the self study, she wins awards at international photographic competitions including Sony World Photography Awards. Now a photographer and neuroscientist Ivana Dostalova publishes a book of her most interesting photographs from the last ten years of her photographic work and visual and photographic research. The book called IMAGERY OF BEING with the subtitle CALEIDOSCOPE OF MIND is published in cooperation with the international publisher
Snap Collective and will contain more than 120 photographs, many of them never seen or published before, and author´s own insights into consciousness. The pre-sale of the book starts March 12th and lasts for 14 days. The book is published in partnership with FotoSlovo Awards for the Winners.
Ivana´s works selected in the book represent the photographic study of the mind and emotions in discourse with insight into the consciousness, foundations of life and human existence. The book uncovers the miraculous, surprising and deep visual journey to immerse and explore the imagery of being.
This book is a courageous and compassionate visual humble prayer of life and the soul within us, gratefully celebrating the depth, lightness, breadth and height of human perception and consciousness, the freedom and power of emotion, the peaceful embrace of the light and shadows of humanity and human existence - the infinite caleidoscope of the mind.
Ivana Dostalova
Czech photographer and scientist based in Prague, working, exhibiting, and with the works represented in the collections worldwide (e.g. Chicago, Paris, Berlin, New York, Atlanta, Michigan, Italy, Austria). A graduate of the PGCert Therapeutic Photography at Robert Gordon University in Scotland, previously obtained PhD in Neurobiology and Physiology from Charles University. She began working as a photographer in 2013, however she has been taking photos from childhood, she firstly openly talked about her life story and photographic journey for 2nd Therapeutic Photography Symposium in 2024. Ivana’s work includes both, mostly black and white works in variety of documentary series and projects, women’s portraits, personal diaries and other projects, as well as reflecting on social and psychosocial issues and today’s world through various artistic languages with the signs of symbolism and experimentation across multiple mediums. Ivana´s works often focuse on the areas of women´s empowerment and choices and dealing with trauma, she connects the field of photography with science to explore and search for the meaning of human existence and searching for identity. From the documentary series, among the best known is the series in between documentary and diary „My Prague“ (2015-2021), in which she captures the atmosphere of Prague and important events, or a series of photographs in which she focused on documenting the backstage of the Oncogynecology Center of the General University Hospital in Prague (2017) via the inner journey of the patient, which later became the book „The Stories Behind Hospital Walls“ (2018). In addition to these topics, since 2014 she has been photographing the backstage of children’s dance and ballet in the time-lapse series „First Steps“ and „Ballet Life“. Other documentaries include personal stories of burlesque performers (Behind the Burlesque, since 2021), behind the scenes of Czech theatres and more. Among the ongoing personal diaries, the series „Maternal Exile“ (2015-2020), „Diary from Quarantine“ (2020), „Life Traveler“ (from 2015) and „American Leaks“ as a maternal road movie towards love (2022) can be mentioned. Three main areas of the photographic study and research are: The self study, The other(s) study, and The world of a (day)dreamer. This part of Ivana´s work reflects the self and the interaction with the society and the other(s) and the critical searching for the self, depth, and genuineness in the times of instant Instagram happiness. As a part of the self study she uses the variety of self-portraits. Two-time nominee and winner of the second place in the Czech Press Photo competition (2018, 2019), in 2023 shortlisted in the Sony World Photography Awards competition. Recipient of Honorable Mention in International Photography Awards (IPA) 2023 Deeper Perspective Award for the photographic processing and contribution to the community of the project Swimming Women. In 2023, Ivana gave a TEDx Talk on the subject of photography and science. Founder of Voitopi Photography (2013), which had been focused on documentary, artistic and commercial photography. Voitopi has been from 2024 dedicated as one unique project to women.
ivana.dostal.eu.com
@idostalova27
American Leaks
The Self Study
