LEARNING TO SWIM
LEARNING TO SWIM
CREDITS
The bond between a mother and daughter is like no other and yet, as the child grows, the connection changes, develops and can become fraught. Alicja Brodowicz (Poland) explores this relationship in Learning To Swim, about the physical and emotional distance that increases as the child grows and gains independence and the difficulty a woman can have in letting go of her child. Romantic, black and white portraits of a young girl display a mother’s pride, her face cradled safely in older hands, always the focus of attention. A poem by Ewa Świac accompanies the series, with lines such as: “the umbilical cord around her wrists” conveying how the relationship can become suffocating and restrictive, even though the mother only has good intentions and immense pride.
Alicja Brodowicz was one of the 38 photographers selected for the shortlist of GUP#47, our 10th anniversary issue, for which an Open Call was held.
