Photographer Karel Tuma focuses on long-term socially oriented documentary projects. He was born in 1975 in Prague. When Tuma worked as a stage technician in Prague’s Divadlo na Vinohradech theatre after graduating from high school, he made his first photographic series entitled "Life Is Being Lived and Lost in the Streets." The series portrays various characters he encountered in Prague’s streets: homeless people, junkies, and those who are trying to help them. Tuma has studied photography at FAMU since 1998. He participated in the exhibition "Blackening" dedicated to Roma, which was organized in 2002 in the Archa Theatre by the People in Need Foundation. His series "In-Between Worlds" depicts the life in the Roma settlements in eastern Slovakia. A selection from this set was awarded the "Golden Eye" first prize in the Daily Life category of the Czech Press Photo 2002 competition.

"I’ve been focusing on the issue of Roma settlements in eastern Slovakia, mainly in the region of Spis, for four years now. Communication between the settlements and the outer world is sparse and the Roma there still live in harmony with nature. They share common faith with Slovaks, but they are trying to find God in nature and in good people. Unfortunately, a lot of their customs and traditions are on the wane and are being replaced by the lifestyle they have learned from our consumer society. Moreover, the unemployment rate there is the highest in Slovakia, reaching 30% among the majority population and almost 100% among Roma. Their lives consist of the daily concerns of food, heat, and how to fill their spare time. This is why they are probably willing to completely open themselves up if they see some interest from your side. Some of them used to live in villages or wandered around offering their skills as blacksmiths, construction workers, and musicians. As time passed the demand for their skills has lessened. After several evictions from the villages and a ban on wandering, they became isolated in their settlements. They made their living as unskilled workers and settled in places where their work was needed. Gradually, their families began to grow, and the problems that continue to this day emerged. One serious problem is that girls usually start to have babies at a very young age. The high number of children in families has its practical reasons too: they help to obtain the daily bread. I can’t do much for them. I devote some of my time to the children, photograph them and later give the pictures to their parents. I can make friends with them and get to know both their good and bad sides. I think that the effort to get to know the communities in the settlements can help itself. This is the message of my pictures that I would like to pass on."