Julian Cabral 2022 Highly Commended
My uncle Carlos, so called. © Julian Cabral
Virginia and Lito are siblings, they were born one year apart. Despite the disease and the problems it entails, they have a great relationship. My mother loves him deeply. That is why, despite being on the side of the fence, she has never let go of his hand. She many times saved him from injury and death. © Julian Cabral
Lito's days are all the same, grey, without sun and without love. He is always locked up in his house, he is afraid of the sidewalk, the people and the light. The situation has been the same for years, there are days when it seems that this nightmare is over for him and my family, but instantly everything collapses and hope fades away again. © Julian Cabral
Loneliness is a word that has great importance in Lito's mind and life. His suicide attempts, his injuries and dangerous behaviors are usually because he is alone and with nothing to do. His only company is the neighbour’s cat that often runs away to be with him. © Julian Cabral
My family and I visit Lito twice a month. When we go to his house, the conditions he is in are terrible. His pants are soiled, his beard is on the floor and his clothes are all dirty. That is why every time we go, my mom cuts his beard, hair and nails. He is not used to bathing and much less used to going to the hairdresser. © Julian Cabral
Lito is a very kind person. When we were kids he always gave us candy and the change that was left, even when my mother told him not to. When he is eating he always gives half or more of his plate to the neighbour’s cat who escapes to eat with him. My mother always tells him off because he does not eat enough and instead gives his food to his best friend. © Julian Cabral
Lito is a person with lots of memory, he always remembers and talks about his past, when he worked, his trips and lost lovers. Many times he cries for his past, for his parents and his youth. He writes the walls and pastes his most beloved memories on it. One of these walls is this corner in his room. © Julian Cabral
Every time we visit Lito, my mother orders, cuts and stores the Lito pills so that they last the whole month. It is a long and difficult job that can only be done with a big heart. without those drugs my uncle would not be alive. © Julian Cabral
A cockroach walks on a plate in my uncle's kitchen. Lito cleans the kitchen and washes the dishes only when we visit him. Every time I go, it's not uncommon to find more than 10 cockroaches on your kitchen table. © Julian Cabral
Lito’s health is in danger every day. He takes more than 15 pills on the daily, he doesn't take a bath, he doesn't brush his teeth, he doesn't exercise and he eats fried food in every meal. Many times I see Lito making a mouthwash with salt to pass the pain. © Julian Cabral
My family and I visit Lito twice a month. When we go to his house, the conditions he is in are terrible. His pants are pissed, his beard is on the floor and his clothes are all dirty. That is why every time we go, my mom cuts his beard, hair and nails. He is not used to bathing and much less used to going to the hairdresser. © Julian Cabral
My two brothers and I are the only reason why he is alive, why he changes his shirt and pants, for which he thinks twice about going in and taking his life. We are his nephews, his only motivation to continue walking the path of madness. We are your support. © Julian Cabral
LITO
My uncle Carlos is 53 years old. Since birth, he has been suffering from schizophrenia and a great developmental delay, which seriously affects his mental health. In his adolescence, the situation worsened even more, his problems and symptoms came to light and began to alter his daily life. Today, after several decades, the reality is already critical. For 18 years I have spent every Sunday visiting the house of my uncle ‘Lito’ in Burzaco, Province of Buenos Aires. As a boy, I was always frightened of his person, his hygiene, his situation, I was disgusted to eat and be in his house. There were days when I did not greet him because of the conditions in which I found him and others in which I did not go to the bathroom, because of how dirty it was. Today, although the environment is the same, after countless Sundays visiting him, answering his calls at night, with other eyes, with another look, it woke up in me the need to tell his life, his mind, what a person with his problems lives, feels and thinks of mental health.This project does not seek to tell only the life of my uncle ‘Lito’, it also seeks to narrate the days of a schizophrenic, sick, lonely person, who lives with terror, anguish and in precarious condition.
About the Photographer
Julian Cabral (b. 2004) is an 18 year old, born and living in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Last year he finished high school at Colegio Cangallo Schule. He stumbled upon documentary photography by chance, in isolation due to the 2020 pandemic, documenting the days of his father’s confinement. Since then, he has received some awards in photography competitions, representing his school and independently. To date, he is taking several courses in documentary and journalistic photography and is working as a photojournalist for the township of Tigre, in the outskirts of Buenos Aires. Cabral is also continuing to work on his project about the life of his uncle “Lito” (the project recognised by the Ian Parry Scholarship).