In 2012, Dutch photographer Carla Kogelman – who previously worked in the theatre industry for twenty-five years – was commissioned by Szene Bunte Wähne, a youth theatre festival in Austria, to make a documentary about the rural Waldviertel region.
She ended up in Merkenbrechts, a small village of 170 inhabitants, where she met Hannah and Alena, two sisters who spend much of their time together in a carefree life of swimming, playing outdoors, and engrossed in games around the house. Carla started photographing them in powerful black and white, and has continued to do so, along with their families, friends and surroundings.
“With Carla we return joyfully to a world where we are never bored, rediscovering the freshness and spontaneity of childhood. She meets the challenge with a poetic balance that avoids any voyeurism or sentimentality.” Jury statement, World Press Photo 2018 – 1st prize long term project.
Schilt Publishing, 2018