Iva Montak

Intimate Istria: a visual diary

When I describe my work as intimate and personal, I’m never pointing to a specific subject or content. Rather, those terms refer to an internal state: my ability to connect with myself. The intimacy in my photography is a direct reflection of my inner self. It emerges when I am truly able to practice self-listening, self-acceptance, and self-respect. When I achieve that internal alignment, that quality naturally extends to the world around me, allowing me to frame my surroundings with genuine emotional depth.

Photographer

Iva Montak

I'm Iva, an Italo-Croatian multidisciplinary creative rooted in Italy. Originally an architect, my professional trajectory shifted due to a persistent drive for expanded perspectives, the profound insights gained from raising two fantastic children – a daily source of immense motivation and inspiration – and a lifelong, unwavering passion for nature and art. This blend of influences encouraged me to transcend my traditional boundaries, leading me to embrace new roles in curating, photography, and essay writing, with a particular focus on themes of self-discovery and consciousness. My artistic expression has matured into a distinctive photographic style, deeply informed by the Japanese aesthetic of Wabi-Sabi (侘寂). This philosophy guides my lens to find inherent beauty in the understated, the flawed, the ephemeral, and the often-unconventional. While my imagery frequently centers on natural subjects in their original settings, my overarching message is that a singular, intimate beauty resides in every location, whether pristine natural landscapes, human-altered environments, or even those touched by degradation and abandonment. My photography project 𝑰𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒂 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒂, which I co-curated with my sister Anamarija, was first showcased at the 𝑴𝑴𝑪 𝑮𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒓𝒚 in Umag (Croataia) in October 2023. It was later presented at the 𝑪𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒂 𝑪𝒉𝒊𝒂𝒓𝒂 association in San Donà di Piave (Italy) in February 2025. I also had an exhibition titled '𝑶𝒓𝒊𝒛𝒛𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒊 𝒓𝒊𝒇𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊' at the 𝑨𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒂 𝑮𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒓𝒚 in Jesolo (Italy) in August 2025. My photogrphs have been published in specialized magazines including 𝑨𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒔 (NY), 𝑴𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒌𝒂 (NY), 𝑨𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒈𝒐 (NY), 𝑭𝒊𝒈𝒈𝒊 (Milano), 𝑸𝒖𝒂𝒅𝒓𝒐 𝑴𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒛𝒊𝒏𝒆(Milano), 𝑷𝒉𝒐𝒕𝒐𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆 (Denmark), 𝑩𝒐𝒍𝒅 & 𝑩𝒆𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒅 (London), and 𝑰𝒏𝒇𝒓𝒂𝒎𝒆 (Australia); 𝑩𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒔 from Pordenone (Italy) dedicated an article to mu project 𝑰𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒂 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒂, while 𝑾𝒉𝒊𝒎𝒔𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝑴𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒛𝒊𝒏𝒆 (France) dedicated a special edition (November 2025) entirely to my photographic work. Beyond photography, I also co-authored the User Manual for 𝑬𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒗𝒆 𝑪𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒔, a deck conceived by my sister 𝑨𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒋𝒂 𝑴𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒌. Collaborating with artists like 𝑮𝒊𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝑭𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏 and 𝑪𝒉𝒊𝒂𝒓𝒂 𝑻𝒖𝒃𝒊𝒂, I've also had the opportunity to write art criticism texts and assist with their exhibition setups.

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