Romualdas Požerskis “Last Home”

Humanistic relationship with man is obvious in Romualdas Požerskis’ photography series The Last Home. It was created in Nemenčinė, Laugaliai and Macikai from 1983 to 1990 and in it he expressively and emotionally gave a meaning to multidimensional images of life in old people’s homes. In Požerskis’ works means of expression of human experiences varied, although the pictures were taken in a limited physical and social space. Emotionalism helps to recognize in elderly people’s faces both experience and naivety that encourage them to enjoy life regardless of external circumstances. It is therefore not surprising that the series is summarized metaphors of human existence which have long been the favourite of both western and Lithuanian humanistic photography masters.

Focus on life, which to a large part of society often remains invisible, distinguishes Požerskis from other Lithuanian representatives of humanistic photography, whose works usually do not limit the topic for a specific population group. The photographer does not avoid highlighting a normal life or otherness of existence of the societies or individuals who find themselves on normal society fringes, and only then he is looking for human values. Thus, drama and conflict of The Last Home are born: social situation and their own bodies do not allow the elderly people to live the life they were accustomed to, but they do not stop having fun and preserve human dignity.