
Kinda rough today
Photographer: Małgorzata Smieszek
Exhibit Title: Kinda rough today
Location: Poland
When Natalia was 14, she started experimenting with drugs out of curiosity. She quickly realized she liked it. Olek’s biological mother was a drug addict. When he was one year old, Monika and Tadeusz adopted him, giving him love, a safe home, and were doing their best to meet his needs. But despite their efforts, they couldn’t shield him from the traps of adolescence. At 16, Olek started using drugs with a group of young addicts—that’s when he met Natalia. A few months into their relationship, Natalia found out she was pregnant. At first, she was overwhelmed with fear—worried that Olek might leave her and she’d have to face motherhood alone. But the pregnancy became a turning point for both of them. As they prepared for their son’s arrival, they changed their lifestyles. Mikołaj was born in December 2023, and the young couple moved in with Olek’s parents to raise him together...
Natalia and Olek allowed me to photograph the key moments of their lives. I witnessed their determination to confront their difficult past as well as their daily struggle to balance parenting with the reality of still being teenagers themselves. This past year has been a lesson in finding balance - between their youthful need for freedom and the responsibility of caring for another human being. Olek is trying to live up to the role of a father, but the weight of daily responsibilities, exhaustion, and the feeling of a lost youth are starting to wear him down. Natalia, on the other hand, has cut ties with her old friends and dedicated herself entirely to raising her child. She spends most of her time at home. Their relationship is now facing a serious crisis.
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