Monika Balu

Background

About Monika Balu

Monika has been experimenting with photography since the age of fourteen. She has completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Minerva Art Academy (Hanze University of Applied Sciences) in Groningen, The Netherlands in 2017. She has additionally sought inspiration from the Japanese way of living during the exchange semester of Contemporary Art course at the Nagoya Zokei University in Komaki city, Japan. For her graduation work, Monika investigated trash disposal and eating habits. Last June, she obtained a Master of Fine Arts (Photography) degree at HDK-Valand (University of Gothenburg) in Gothenburg, Sweden, where she focused on hearing perception and the relationship between photography and sound. Her work has been exhibited in Lithuania, The Netherlands, Japan, Germany, UK, Portugal, Sweden, the US, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Monika Balu is intrigued by intersensory experiences and how the perception of human senses can be stretched. She is currently participating at Fotodok Lighthouse talent development program in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Her ideas about communication during a pandemic have been awarded with “Stipendium Dialoog 2020” grant, which will allow her to realise the project in the upcoming year.