Mrs. Teresa immobilized by illness, seen in the reflection of a mirror hanging in the anteroom, and her husband standing by her bed.
name

Mrs. Teresa and Her Husband (from series)

"Dignity" is a series of photographs of people suffering from incurable, death-causing diseases in their homes, which they are often unable to leave on their own, which become their prisons. I became interested in the subject during an assignment for the Home Hospice Center in Warsaw. This hospice cares for adult patients in their homes by providing medical care, rehabilitation, psychological and spiritual assistance, as well as the possibility of renting medical equipment and apparatus free of charge. Ever since I can remember, my greatest fear has not been death itself, but a period of old age or illness in which I will no longer be autonomous, which will make me dependent on others and limit my freedom - grounding me in one place, in bed. As I get older, with each passing year, I try to get used to the idea of my own old age, powerlessness and loss of independence. With this project I want to convey that the time in sickness and old age, when death seems closer than ever, can be full of dignity and as valuable as any other period in a human life.
author

Damian Lemański

freelance photographer
Born in 1985, he is a Polish-based photographer documenting life around him. He is mainly interested in man and his place in today's world. In 2008 Damian finished the European Academy of Photography in Warsaw - a school of Izabela Jaroszewska PhD. He has participated in workshops led by Kadir van Lohuizen, Pep Bonet, Tanya Habjouqa, Espen Rasmussen, Stefano De Luigi, Michael Ackerman, Lorenzo Castore, Tomasz Tomaszewski. Vagabond & dreamer. From November 2011 until May 2012 Damian traveled across South America. From this solitary expedition he made a film called "181". In October 2015 Damian longed for the dust of the road and went on another journey. This time, the vagabond took his bicycle and cycled from Poland to Senegal. During this trip, together with the Foundation "Hear Africa", he was collecting money for the education of deaf girl, Makane Dieng. From this expedition Damian made a film "Restaurant" which had a premiere in February 2018. In early 2019, he flew to the Greek island of Lesbos, home to Europe's largest refugee camp, because he wanted to get to know the people so many fear without knowing them at all. In October 2019, he visited Senegal again - this time to document the activities of the Polish Medical Mission. He took the opportunity to meet once again with Makane - the girl he supported 3.5 years earlier - and to organize a fundraiser for her further education. In recent times he left his heart at Lunik IX, a Roma settlement in Košice, Slovakia, among the children living there. To not die, from time to time he is visiting this place. Everyday he tries to love.