FOAM MAGAZINE #18 / DISPLACED / DANA POPA

Dana Popa (Romania, 1977) completed her master’s degree in Documentary Photography and Photojournalism at the London College of Communication in 2006. Prior to that she studied at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication Studies of the University of Bucharest, Romania. She is currently working as a freelance photographer in London, specializing in contemporary social issues with a particular emphasis on human rights. In 2008 Dana Popa exhibited her work at the Noorderlicht Photofestival in Leeuwarden, at Musée de l’Elysée in Lausanne, Kiyosato Museum of Photographic Arts in Tokyo and in the exhibition Moving Walls 14 at the Open Society Institue in New York. In 2007 her series Not Natasha received the Jury Prize in the Days Japan International Photojournalism Awards and the Jerwood Photography Award. Her photographs have been published in several magazines including Days Japan, Portfolio, British Journal of Photography, Vrij Nederland, 8 magazine and Next Level. Her latest work has been commissioned by Autograph ABP and will result in a book, to be published in spring 2009. The Missing is a free standing development of the ongoing project

Not Natasha (2006). Even though trafficked girls still form the hub of the work, Dana Popa now focuses on the families left behind. The families that are waiting for years – often in vain – for the girls to come home or give a sign of life.

All images: ΠDana Popa, courtesy Autograph ABP.