Project

A visual narrative about my life with an extraordinary brother. Jelrik is different from most people; he was born with a severe multiple disability, one that keeps him mentally young forever. Through drawings, collages, paintings, embroidered illustrations and text fragments, I show who Jelrik is to me. A visual narrative about my life with an extraordinary brother. Although we grew up together, we are very different. Jelrik is different from most people; he was born with a severe multiple disability, one that keeps him mentally young forever. Mentally, he is a six-month-old baby, even though he is now 21 years old. Because he is completely dependent on care, he stays in a care facility from Monday to Friday and is with us at home on weekends. Through drawings, collages, paintings, embroidered illustrations and text fragments, I show who Jelrik is to me. I tell about my relationship with him and the place he holds within our family. My images mainly show the contact between us, and how it constantly shifts, between connection and distance. Moments of contact, alongside moments when he is in his own world. Moments when I would very much like to look inside his head but cannot. Jelrik is not the only one. There are many like him, people you rarely hear about. They grow up in a family like ours, in a world that is not really designed for them. And like them, those who care for them often remain invisible. People like Jelrik deserve a rightful place in our society. They deserve to be seen and heard (willingly). That is what I want to demonstrate with this intimate project.