monasimon – Visual Storytelling

Visual Storytelling

Mona Simon

I see you,
I care about you,
I wish to see you again
in a work of my own.

I use the camera to capture the essence of what I perceive. My doing is a constant observation and introspection. I question the concept of identity and explore the conditioned human self and its creations, its systems and illusions through visual storytelling .

View my work

: Chan Chou, 29, lives in the pagoda since 11 month, she has worked as a kitchen support in restaurants in Thailand for many years but had bad luck with the money she earned. Since 7 years she is not allowed to see her 8 year old son who’s father got married to a different wife while she went to work abroad. Cannon Chou is a gentle woman, her parents have died and she feels without strength to fight for her child.

: Entrance Andeok Pagoda, Battambang, Cambodia

: Cambodia, Battambang, Andeok Pagoda

: Cambodia, Battambang, Andeok Pagoda

: Cambodia, Battambang, Andeok Pagoda

: Andeok Pagoda, Battambang, Cambodia

: The Paradise is female – Matriarchy in China The Lugu lake is in the Mosuos Eyes the origin of Life. © mona simon contact: monasimon(at)me.com www.monasimon.com

: The Paradise is female – Matriarchy in China – Dansh duma 73- Near the Lugu Lake, high in the Tibetan Himalayas where the leading role in the society is not taken by man, like almost all over the world, but by the women and especially by the mothers of the community. These leadership roles are not only seen within the family structure and decision making, the woman of Mosuo community in fact take on many of the more labour intensive responsibilities. The Mosuo minority consists of a population of 50.000 people, they have lived for thousands of years around the Lugu Lake. © mona simon

: This Gypsy girl belongs to the cardarari a subgroups of Romani people in Transylvania/ Romania. After already having 2 daughters, her family was very upset when she was born as they where desperately wayting for a son, to inherit the families property one day. She is 5 years old now. Mainly because of her exceptional beauty she has already been promised (theoretically married) by her family to a neighbour families son. When she completes 13, she will leave her own family and move to her husbands.

: cuba

: These two sisters belong to the cardarari a subgroups of Romani people in Romania. They left school after completing the 4th grade now their main occupation is to take care of the house, the family and the family business. The community traditionally produces handcrafted copper work which they than sell in front of their houses but also on national and international fares.

Why we tell stories

Storytelling has always been central to humanity, from cave-paintings to songs, to poems, to myths, tales, books, photographs, films ...

storytelling is one of the oldest forms of art, a universal language which creates inner conversation and inspires new perspectives.

© 2023 monasimon.

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