this is not
the story of my grandfather
untitled
matte photographic print, 160x100 cm, 2020.
untitled
matte photographic print, 80x55 cm, 2019.
untitled
matte photographic print, 40x30 cm, 2019
https://vimeo.com/513818055
untitled
matte photographic print, 40x60 cm, 2019.
untitled
matte photographic print, 20x30 cm, 2019.
https://vimeo.com/513816864
untitled
video project, looped 1 min, 32’ screen projection, 2020 r.
Next to my family house, where we have lived for many years, stands an old barn, which has become a reason and yet a binder for the whole project. In 1943, at the age of 16, my grandfather Zygmunt was sent to a labor camp near Wejherowo, where trenches were dug for the Germans against the Russian army. He stayed there for almost two years, working hard every day, sometimes even at night, in the snow and heat. He slept together with other Poles but also with animals in this barn, covering himself to sleep only with hay. Suffering from hunger, they had no choice but to catch mice, cats or anything that was edible and later cooked it. It's hard to even imagine what winter looked like in such humiliating conditions, how they dealt with frostbite, injuries and exhaustion. Such a young boy (almost two times younger than I am at the moment when I’m writing this now) was hit with shovel by a German and barely pulled through. Such a young boy had to deal with something like that…
For my generation, the majority of us it is unimaginable. The barn and the place where I grew up - for my grandfather became another place to work. Of course, in completely different conditions and probably mostly due to habits. The work itself has evolved from a project about hard work - into a project about trying to understand these stories. I see my grandfather today as an elderly man who, despite his age, still wants to feel useful. His routine due to age breaks down, everything revolves around the past and it's hard not to notice. The words "my whole life was a farm-hand" hurt. So because of my own need, I've started to try to depict these images in my way. I decided to get more into this story, present the suspension in the past and present. I dress up like him, walk like him, try to imitate him - that's the only thing that comes to my mind. The project is based on conversations with my grandfather Zygmunt and is an attempt to understand the stories he tells. I have always been wondering about his attitude to work, how he approaches daily duties with great respect and meticulousness. Despite his old age (93) he is still trying to control everything and fulfill his daily duties. His life, in fact, still revolves around work. Perhaps he stayed in this barn forever. This is not a story about my grandfather, is the story that I'm trying to understand Him.
