Jakub Slodkiewicz

jakub.kacper.slodkiewicz@gmail.com

http://jakubslodkiewicz.com

Unfolding

Queerness as a subject to photograph was – and still is – the most freeing, empowering, and prideful thing I have ever allowed myself to discover with a camera thus far. As a queer person myself, I came from a part of Europe that is not necessarily welcoming to people like me. Those photographs feel like a manifesto. Being accepted and given rights is nothing without being seen. Visibility doesn’t only mean being aware of someone’s existence and their right to breathe; visibility is the intimacy that leaves no room for shame or dehumanisation. Queer intimacy is what we’re being ripped from on daily basis by the media and – most importantly – by the society. And this is exactly how I found myself in a position to reclaim the right to queer lust, love and sex, by showing my story and the stories of my queer siblings out there.