Ivo Miche Borovina

MINI-PHOTO EXHIBIT: 'Big City Blues'

Text by Nela Borovina: Nelapoetessa@aol.com

In today's society, we seem to be obsessed and addicted to materialistic nature of all the 'stuff' that we think we so desperately need and want. It is never-ending story, because MORE does not know ENOUGH! Seeking instant gratification in everything, we are running in all directions, confused in this technically super modernized beehive, competitively searching for almighty success, no matter what the cost. That is precisely how we get further and further away from preciousness of spiritual values and true meaning of life in its basic, unbinding simplicity. Along the way, we forget divinely ordered, prime importance of selflessness, self-sacrifice and awesomely inner rewarding self giving. Very special and worthy feeling of wanting to care and have a sincere concern for others, in a real, substantially altruistic way, seems to be lacking and somehow it gets lost amid all that 'stuff' which preoccupies us most of the time.

 

My name is Ivo Miche Borovina. I was born on July 30, 1963, in Blato, on the island of Korcula, Croatia. From 1990, I live in New York, USA. I can say that I am more amateur photographer, then professional, but still I've crossed the boundaries of mere superficial 'hobby' interest, while ago. With my photo camera, I've taken many shots, among which I had the honor to immortalize some memorable meetings between Cardinal Josip Bozanic, Arch Bishop Vinko Puljic and Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader, with Croatian Catholic community in New York.

When occasion presents itself, like when people have parties and celebrations of any kind (engagement, confirmation, etc.), I capture their special moments, for a lifetime of memories. Most especially I enjoy portrait photography. My family has a huge photo collection of our many treasured events and unknown number of captured special moments from the lives of our three children. Frequently my favorite NIKON camera uncovers the layers of my surroundings, through sometimes unusual photo-prism, freezing the moment in time, in the world, all around me.

Walking around the Big Apple, almost magnetically, my photographic eye was drawn to homeless people.

To them, I dedicated one whole period of my development into a passionate amateur photographer, as I instinctively responded to the sudden rush of my artistic inspiration.

It is inevitable (or it should be) that those people, who have a street for a home, touch us in a special, distinct way, not leaving us indifferent or cold, never, not even when we pass them by, in a rush, pretending that we didn't notice them. In their presence, I was touched with profound sense of sorrow, but also injustice, still more smitten with sadness, and a bit of helpless bitterness. It sounds unlikely, but there is certain gracefulness about them, nevertheless the strongest was the feeling of melancholy, I helplessly felt blue, so I named this mini-photo exhibit: 'Big City Blues'. These eleven pictures are only a small fragment of a larger photo-cycle that bares their name, evidencing some moments of their daily struggle in this big city.

In today's society, we seem to be obsessed and addicted to materialistic nature of all the 'stuff' that we think we so desperately need and want. It is never-ending story, because MORE does not know ENOUGH! Seeking instant gratification in everything, we are running in all directions, confused in this technically super modernized beehive, competitively searching for almighty success, no matter what the cost. That is precisely how we get further and further away from preciousness of spiritual values and true meaning of life in its basic, unbinding simplicity. Along the way, we forget divinely ordered, prime importance of selflessness, self-sacrifice and awesomely inner rewarding self giving. Very special and worthy feeling of wanting to care and have a sincere concern for others, in a real, substantially altruistic way, seems to be lacking and somehow it gets lost amid all that 'stuff' which preoccupies us most of the time.

America is amazingly filled with many contrasts on every corner (not just of this vast city), that are visible in many formats of everyday life. It is also the country of enormous riches and abundance of many kinds, offering many temptations, so many are lured into trap of extreme consumerist mentality, and after all that fuss, people are left feeling frustrated, empty and unfulfilled. Contrary to that, extreme poverty and lack is bluntly obvious, rupturing presumably existing paradise, made of honey, milk and golden opportunities.

Our spiritual side inevitably becomes numb, grows cold and futile, because we pushed back and left on hold the joy of the Spirit, that carries within the wisdom of the heart and unmistakable knowing that every, single human life has dignity, immeasurable importance, deserving of all recognized dignity and respect, no matter in which manner is that particular life lived, or what degree of quality by our 'standards' it has.

So many people call these poor, lonely and often mentally and physically ill persons, by various, insulting names, which are only adding more grief to their anguished and nameless existence. God gave them their lives, and they should not be treated less worthy, just because they are not appealing to us in any way. If we dare to look and search deep down within, into that pure, unspoiled and honest part of our souls, we can realize that these less fortunate people naturally deserve real attention and help, offered to them in our true humility.

We should think of the ways how to share with them at least some small, unpretentious acts of kindness, like: buying them a cup of coffee, a sandwich, or giving them a smile, maybe a hug or having a short conversation. In this manner, we may overcome an aversion towards them, unhealthy feeling of disgust and poison of unfriendliness, which is all negative, inhumane, inconsiderate and inexcusable. Everybody on this planet needs, even a short-spanned, (someone's) undivided attention!

In this emotionless, sometimes cruel and unforgiving mundane reality, they, too, carry their crosses, burdens, the best they know how to or can. They are God's children, as well, and they need us, to help them to overcome their predicament. Sufficient may prove to be, even the smallest crumbs of our readiness to do something, that show how we are still not completely infected with desensitized unwillingness to care for the problems and severe hurts of others, such as these are.

Remembering the Saint, Mother Teresa, who devoted her whole life to alike people, can we perceive with our heart's eyes, through the dark shadows and see the Light, Lord's Face, hidden in their unwashed and bruised faces?!

We, as Catholics (like we so proudly proclaim in our words so often!), should do something worthy, letting our actions to speak louder than many words. We do not have the right to judge them, because we don't know what happened on their life path that caused them to be in these dire circumstances.

As fellow humans and citizens of this city, which they share with us, they can benefit only from our loving concern and considerate helpful approach, as we erase our uneasiness, replacing it with patience and kindness.

If those photographs, that are unprocessed and unbleached artistic expression of my own inspiration, can cause someone to do just a bit more then superficial, no-depth thinking, and in the process also touch them deeply, encountered with this picture of pain and sorrow of lost strangers, then my motivation has proven its underlying cause, exhausting its proper and important meaning.

If that happens, the shift has been made and things moved into right and good direction, into the fullness of their righteous substance, and my pleasure of taking these photos, actually became useful in its purpose, as most things are not in vain.

We mature together in knowing that all the people on this Earth are infallibly connected with hidden ties, universal threads, seeking and needing one another, because we walk this path, small under the distant stars.

May the Love of God permeate all of us, and may we decide to do our noble part, maybe through creatively artistic, unique expressions, or even better- through some concrete actions, in order to relieve the hurts of those who suffer immensely, helping them to persevere. Then, they can have a piece of heaven that belongs only to them, in the midst of their harsh big city lives, as they ask themselves: 'How to survive in this overburdened, bleak existential desert?'

These photos and sad city scenes, speak for themselves, serving as a warning, silently crying, born out of ordinary city wonderings. Are we just closing our eyes?

When we meet some homeless people somewhere, with an open heart and mind, let us simply just ponder on the fact, that they, just like all of us, have special story of their life, and even as they appear desperate, they, too, live of hope. Hope that dies last, only when the life itself is lost.

Thank you so much for visiting these Internet CROWN pages!

Contact me, Ivo Miche Borovina, at:

Otrantmiche@aol.com

Mobile phone: 917 617-3024 (New York, USA)



Ivo Miče Borovina,
MINI-PHOTO IZLOŽBA: 'VELEGRADSKE TUGE'

Tekst napisala Nela Borovina: Nelapoetessa@aol.com

Zovem se Ivo Miče Borovina. Ro|en sam 30 srpnja 1963. godine u Blatu na otoku Korčuli.
Od 1990. godine živim u New York-u, SAD. Mogao bih reći da se fotografijom bavim više amaterski negoli profesionalno, no svakako sam već odavno prešao granice tek površne 'hobby' zainteresiranosti. Svojim foto aparatom sam imao čast ovjekovječiti Kardinala Josipa Bozanića, Nadbiskupa Vinka Puljića, te Prime-Ministra Ivu Sanadera, svih pojedinačno u susretu sa hrvatskim vjernicima u New York-u. Ovjekovječujem mnogima njihove uspomene, prilikom posebnih prigoda, poput krštenja, krizme, zaruka,..i sl., te u svrhu trajnog sjećanja, udovoljavam po potrebi, pri portretnom fotografiranju.

Moja obitelj, dakako, posjeduje neizmjernu količinu naših obiteljskih fotografija, nadasve vrlo uspjelih i zanimljivih portreta i slika iz života naše troje djece. Gotovo svakodnevno, moja favorite NIKON camera, otkriva svijet kroz ponekad i neobičnu foto-prizmu, svuda oko mene, gdje se zateknem. šetajući po Big Apple, gotovo magnetski, moje fotografsko oko privukli su beskućnici. Njima, homeless people, sam posvetio čitav period svog razvoja i uobličavanja kao strasni amaterski fotograf, odazivajući se iskonskom nagonu inspiracije.
Neumitno je, ili bar bi tako trebalo biti, da nas ti ljudi ulice, u svojoj naizgled okorjeloj ranjivosti, ne mogu ostaviti potpuno ravnodušnima, pa čak ni onda kad užurbano pro|emo pored njih, pretvarajući se da ih ne zamjećujemo. Mene su dotaknuli tugom i pomalo bespomoćnom gorčinom, te sam stoga ovu moju mini-photo izložbu, od samo nekih iz ciklusa odabranih fotografija, nazvao: 'Velegradske Tuge'.

Današnja sveprisutna opčinjenost i navezanost na materijalno, kao i bezglava trka u suvremenoj košnici za samoprobitkom, uvelike nas odvlači od duhovnog i onoga svega što ne spada u nesebično sebedarje. Živeći u Americi, često smo osupnuti sa inim kontrastima u svakom obliku, gotovo na svakom koraku. Ovo je zemlja nebrojenih različitosti, (pre)obilja i razuzdanog potrošačkog mentaliteta, koji nas u pravilu ostavlja praznima i nepotpunima, jer zaboravili smo na ono duhovno, puno važnije. Potisnuli smo radost duha, koja nosi probu|enu mudrost srca i spoznaju kako svaki ljudski život ima neprocjenjivu vrijednost i dostojan je poštovanja, bez obzira na način ili kvalitetu tog života. Toliki pogrdno nazivaju ove beskućnike 'bamine', svrstavajući ih žustro u one manje-vrijedne, iako je i njihov život od Boga dan, pa ma kako oni po našim 'standardima' neprilično izgledali, ili ne ispunjavali naše 'kriterije'. Zavirimo li dublje u neiskvaren i onaj naiskreniji dio svoje nutrine, shvatiti ćemo da i ova bića, ovi beskućni ljudi, možda bolesni i nesretni, zaslužuju našu dobroćudnu i brižnu pozornost i pomoć. Prečesto ih se obilježava ili ignorira kao nepoželjne, zazire od njih sa izrazitom odbojnošću, te govori o njima pogrdnim i ružnim riječima, što je potpuno neprimjereno i ne-kršćanski. Nasuprot tome, tako se često busamo u prsa da smo veliki i dobri katolici! ?!?! Mi ne znamo što je te ljude dovelo u te nezavidne životne okolnosti, pa ih tako ne smijemo ni osudjivati, već im pružiti neki oblik brige, suosjećanja, ili bar iskazati tek malo čovjekoljubive obzirnosti, koja im kao fellow humans i stanovnicima ovog grada, zapravo i pripada.

Možda tek dati im osmjeh, kratki razgovor, plaćenu kavu ili sandwich&&&..tek neki dokaz da još uvijek nismo potpuno zaraženi neosjetljivošću za probleme drugih!? U ovoj bešćutnoj urbanoj realnosti i oni tek samo nose svoj križ, svoje breme, onako kako najbolje znaju. I oni su djeca Božja, vrijedni mrvice samilosti, onako zatočeni u svijet svoga bola i nevolje, nama možda potpuno nedokučiv. Kad bi smo samo bili kadri prepoznati, poput Majke Terezije, u njima skriveno Lice Gospodinovo, da, u tim neopranim licima ovih ljudi što žive tu, oko nas, u okrilju nemilih velegradskih ulica!

Ako ove moje fotografije, nepatvoreni umjetnički izričaj mog vlastitog nadahnuća, mogu tek nekog potaknuti na malo više od površnog razmišljanja i ne ostaviti ga ravnodušnim, u susretu s ovim tu|im jadom i izgubljenošću, onda je motivacija iscrpila svoju svrhu. Time je napravljen pomak, gdje se ugodno spojilo s korisnim, jer tada smo svojom dirljivošću, zapravo krenuli putem sazrijevanja u spoznaji: da su svi ljudi na ovoj zemlji nevidljivim sponama povezani, da žudno trebamo jedni druge i da tek maleni hodamo ispod dalekih zvijezda.
Želja mi je da se na bilo koji način, umjetnički kreativan, ako ne i konkretnije učinkovit, skrene pozornost (koja im je nerijetko uskraćena) na ova ljudska bića, te da nas svih prožme Ljubav Božja i jednostavna osjećajnost, dok se istovremeno možda čak i zapitamo s njima:

'Kako preživjeti, opstati, u toj nametljivo šturoj egzistencijalnoj ogoljenosti?' Slike i prizori govore, ponekad puno bolje od riječi, opominju, vape otužnošću, zjape ro|ene iz svakodnevnih previranja trbuhom ovog New York-škog megapolisa. Da li tek zatvaramo oči?
 Kad ih opet negdje u hodu susretnemo, pokušajmo otvorena srca bar pomisliti, da i oni svoju posebnu životnu priču imaju, te da iako očajnički izgledali i oni žive od nade, nade koja posljednja umire, tek onda kad i sam čovjek.

Hvala Vam što ste posjetili ove internetske CROWN stranice!

Kontakt:

Ivo Miče Borovina
Otrantmiche@aol.com

Mobilni telefon: 917 617-3024 (New York, SAD)


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