A Love Letter To Childhood & Memory

Edge of Humanity Magazine

6 hours ago

Photographer Kasia Jedrych-Waniek is the Edge of Humanity Magazine contributor of this photo essay. From the project ‘What Remains’. To see Kasia’s body of work, click on any photograph.

In my photography, time is central. I try to capture traces of the past in the present and reflect on the time that is still ahead of me.

I grew up in Poland in the 1980s, which was at that time a communist country with few perspectives. But for us children, it was a happy place, as we had our own world.

After both of my grandmothers died, I looked back at my childhood and tried to capture what remained of it by taking pictures of the places and things that are still here.
As long as my grandmothers were alive and I could visit them, the world of my childhood still existed.

But after their death it suddenly disappeared. I tried to “freeze” my memories of the times I was growing up. Part of the photographs became the only thing I have left from the places where I used to play as a child, because we had to sell both my grandmothers’ flats.

At the same time, my son was born and I became a mother myself, leaving behind the role of the grandchild. So, this project became a love letter to my childhood and a way to say goodbye to it.

Artist statement

 My work explores the fragile relationship between memory, time, and human presence. Through medium format analog photography, I am drawn to what remains - traces, atmospheres, and quiet emotional echoes that persist beyond the visible moment.

I’m interested in the space between presence and absence, where images carry memory rather than just document reality. Working with film slows me down and allows for uncertainty, shaping how I see the world.

My photographs are not meant to describe, but to suggest - to hold a sense of stillness, introspection, and ambiguity, inviting the viewer into a more contemplative way of seeing. 

Biography 

Kasia Jedrych-Waniek is a Warsaw-based photographer and editorial graphic designer specializing in medium format analog photography. Working primarily with a Mamiya 645 Pro and a Yashica Mat, she creates contemplative images that explore the passage of time and its quiet impact on human lives. Her photographs often evoke a sense of memory, transience, and emotional depth, capturing what lingers between presence and absence.

Combining a refined visual sensibility with a background in graphic design, Kasia brings a precise attention to composition, texture, and light. She holds a master’s degree in graphic design from the European Academy of Arts in Warsaw and a degree from the Warsaw School of Photography. Her work has been featured on Photovogue and recognized in international competitions between 2023 and 2026, including the Exposure One Awards, 1839 Awards, Refocus Awards, One Shot Award (BBA Gallery) and Analog Sparks Awards.

Her work is currently presented on Artsy by BBA Gallery.

All images and text © Kasia Jedrych-Waniek