My first memories of Warsaw were when I visited my mortally ill brother – Marcinek, in 1994. In a short time after the visit, which stuck in my mind, Marcinek died.
I have already written about my brother in one of my previous posts. This topic was the main plot of my thesis, which I graduated in June 2018. Nevertheless, I am convinced that I’ll be back to Marcinek many times in the future. His personality and unexpected death undoubtedly left many love and issues in my heart, soul, and mind. Undoubtedly, we can see all these things in my pictures. All the memories connected with my brother continually are appearing in my life.
Since Marcinek’s death, Warsaw has become a kind of apocalyptic city for me. This prophetic climate we can also find in David Bowie’s song “Warszawa” or many of Zdzislaw Beksinski’s paintings.
For many years, every moment spent in the capital of Poland is in some way a reminiscence of the 1994 event. Since my brother’s death, Warsaw has been the closest city to my heart. For a short period, I was actively supporting Legia – a football club that is the pride and the heart of this city only confirms it. In 1994, I believed in Warsaw very much. I had faith that the city’s unique atmosphere magically would help and heal my brother. Unfortunately, leukemia turned out to be stronger than my young brother’s body. Since then, on the one hand, the Polish capital has become in my memories a concrete, soulless fortress that took away the integral part of my life.
On the other hand, it paradoxically appears to me as a city of hope.
In my imagination, Warsaw magically started to present the human element hidden among the walls. I believe my moments spent here, with all the people I had the pleasure to meet, will undoubtedly be remembered until the end of my life. Those memories will remain in my heart, soul, and mind forever.
