Photography in the background of words and music still remains a young medium, unrecognized and mysterious. Its advantage in reference to words consists in that it is able to testify itself, that it shows precisely and accurately. While its relation with music is that sometimes it is able to take us into an undefined, unique, and extraordinary state. Push us to a reflection.

Similarly to literature and music, photography serves various purposes and perhaps its function is so broad that it makes it the most democratic of all available means of expression.

Apart from my feelings, faith, or beliefs, photography remains for me such a mystery that I have the feeling that regardless what I say about it, an expression by someone else – presenting a completely contrary thesis – may be equally true.

However, there are moments when the function of photography is clear, readable, and not subject to any verification. That is the case with works by Dawid Stube, which I present below, at the author’s consent.

It is a beautiful, moving, and deep story about love and absolute devotion of a mother to Igor, her son suffering from an incredibly rare genetic disorder called Cri du chat syndrome.
According to the author of the photographs – “Igor is 18 years old. Boys at this age take full advantage of life: they grow up, experience their first rebellion, first love, discover the world… Igor has none of that. Every day he fights, together with his mother, so that the discovered world at least slightly resembles a normal one. Despite great problems, this every-day struggle triumphs because it is built on a great bond between these people who are unique and extraordinary in their own ways.”

I have lied out selected photos from this long-term material on a timeline, attempting to emphasize the every-day, almost heroic effort made by the mother to provide the 18 year old boy with a sense of a child being cared for.
Let us devote a moment for this discretely shown, and at the same time deeply moving, humanistic story. It leaves considerable good behind.

Tomasz Tomaszewski. April, 2018

 

All photographs ©Dawid Stube

All photographs ©Dawid Stube