Juliana Nonaka: Memory, Ancestry, and Records of the Sacred

A Brazilian photographer from Brasília with deep roots in Japanese immigration, Juliana Nonaka carries in her gaze the heritage of four generations of vernacular family documentation. At 46 years old, she transforms photography into a bridge between ancestral memory and contemporary documentation, working as an independent and authorial photographer in Brasília, with a focus on social movements and cultural manifestations.

Her image “The Priestess“, a finalist in the Single Image category of the FotoDoc Photo Contest 2025, delves into the universe of the Vale do Amanhecer (Valley of the Dawn), a spiritualist complex founded by Tia Neiva in 1969. Captured on May 1st, 2025 – Day of the Doctrinator – the photograph captures the strength and devotion of the mediums of this syncretic tradition, revealing not only a ritualistic moment but the cultural and spiritual resistance that permeates the Federal District. The work reflects her commitment to documenting religious and social manifestations that are often rendered invisible, honoring both her family heritage of meticulous record-keeping and her quest for narratives that amplify silenced voices.

Learn more about this powerful record and the projects that articulate gender, memory, and photography in the interview that follows.

Imagem de Solupan, Ensaio de Juliana Nonaka selecionado para o Prêmio Portfólio FotoDoc 2025

How old are you? Where do you currently live and work?

I am 46 years old. I live and work in Brasília/DF.

Tell us about your journey in photography. When did you start photographing and why? What role does photography play in your life?

My relationship with photography is directly related to my oriental ancestry. Vernacular photography served as a record and memory of Japanese immigration, with the archive having been carefully built by at least four generations of my family. Currently, I am an independent and authorial photographer, working directly at events for photographers in the Federal District. Photography plays countless roles in my life, from artistic manifestation to the historical documentation of social movements and popular demonstrations.

Tell us about your finalist work for the FotoDoc Photo Contest 2025. When and where was it created? What is its concept? How does it fit into your photographic practice?

The image was taken on May 1st, 2025, the Day of the Doctrinator. The date celebrates the work of the Social Works of the Christian Spiritualist Order Vale do Amanhecer – OSOEC, traditionally known as the “Vale do Amanhecer”.

The Vale is located in Planaltina, an administrative region of the Federal District, and consists of a religious complex that brings together hundreds of mediums, in a great manifestation of our religious syncretism.
It was founded by Neiva Chaves Zelaya, Tia Neiva, in 1969.

A mother of four, Tia Neiva was widowed at 22, when she moved to Cidade Livre (now Núcleo Bandeirante) to work on the construction of Brasília as a truck driver, the first registered female truck driver in Brazil. She moved to Taguatinga in 1964, but it was only in 1969 that the Social Works of the Christian Spiritualist Order (OSOEC) settled in the Vale do Amanhecer.

Today, the Vale do Amanhecer has about 800 thousand initiated mediums, spread throughout Brazil and in other countries.

What projects are you currently working on? What are your near-future plans for photographic production?

I am currently working on a project whose goal is to give visibility to mature women (+50). The project, still untitled, consists of collecting testimonies and producing images of various Brazilian women who share the transformations that occurred with the arrival of perimenopause and menopause, as well as their aspirations for the future. We are also working on a collective publication to promote photographers from the Federal District.