On 2 December 2025, Slovenian artist Maruša Puhek delivered the opening keynote of the MA in International Studies in Media, Power and Difference at the UPF Poblenou Campus Auditorium. In her talk, “When Less Becomes Enough: Minimalism, Everyday Beauty, and Ethical Framing – the art of seeing differently,” Puhek reflected on minimalism, everyday beauty, and the ethical dimensions of visual representation, drawing on her multidisciplinary practice and her recent recognition as World Nature Photographer of the Year 2025. 

Abstract: Competitions and social media often suggest that good photographs live elsewhere: on other continents, in spectacular landscapes, with rare animals. For years, Maruša Puhek followed a similar idea, constantly trying to “find” better photos and never feeling her work was enough. Winning the title World Nature Photographer of the Year 2025 with a minimalist photograph of two deer taken close to home forced a rethink. In this talk she traces that shift and uses it to discuss minimalism, everyday beauty and ethical framing. She shows how a year-long “one photo a day” project shifted her focus from chasing spectacle to noticing everyday moments: repetition, unpredictability and, above all, making memories for herself and others. She emphasises that what matters is not the gear you own, but the camera you actually carry with you. Drawing on her background in communication design and illustration, she reflects on how principles of reduction and rhythm travel across photography and other media, suggesting that the underlying way of seeing is more important than the discipline. Topics include the role of titles in guiding interpretation, the power of simple crops, and where she draws the line in editing and manipulation. The talk ultimately asks what “enough” means and how a slower, more attentive way of seeing can spill over into everyday life.

Bio: Maruša Puhek is a Slovenian multimedia creator, designer, illustrator and photographer currently based in Graz, Austria. She studied Media Communication in Slovenia and later Communication Design in Austria. She describes herself as an incurable perfectionist, a maximalist trying to be a minimalist – contradictions that are reflected in her wide-ranging photographic work, from animals and nature to abandoned objects, professional campaigns, documentary projects and intimate weddings. Her work has received international recognition, including FZS and FIAP gold medals, a UNESCO award, the Creative Communication Award, various publications and honours in competitions such as International Wedding Photographer of the Year. In 2025 she was named World Nature Photographer of the Year with her minimalist photograph of two deer.