Angelo Merendino

"The Battle We Didn't Choose. My Wife's Fight with Breast Cancer"

All above images are copyright of Angelo Merendino, taken from his series "The Battle We Didn't Choose, My Wife's Fight with Breast Cancer". (N/D)

http://mywifesfightwithbreastcancer.com/

“Love every morsel of the people in your life.” – Jennifer Merendino

These images were taken by Angelo Merendino, documenting his wife's tragic battle with breast cancer. I was instantly drawn to these images when I found them online, I think because the subject is not only so daunting and controversial to document, but also because it is something I have been through myself. I too recently lost a family member to cancer, so to see the reality of what a person has to go through not only suffering from the disease, but what the family members have to deal with too is quite significant to me. I understand it and it helps me to deal with my own loss knowing that you are not alone and that others are also going through what your own family went through. 

I really love this work, not only because of my personal connection to what is being portrayed but also because the images are candid. They are realistic, honest photographs about the issue of cancer and the struggle a person goes through with this illness. Although subjective to a certain extent, they work in a way in which the viewer can empathize with the subject and still be able to understand or read the image. They raise awareness of issues in a way that is effective in drawing positive attention to a social issue, and make public something that so many people are affected by, unlike the images taken by Billingham in the "Ray's a Laugh" series. Merendino instead has created, in my opinion, compelling, beautifully tragic but extremely honest photographs about an illness that needs to be understood more. These photographs help this to happen. 

The snapshot quality of these photographs helps to create a more honest image, if that is possible. The images feel much more realistic because they are not staged. These things actually happened and unfortunately this woman passed away. It is not glamorous or aesthetic- it is simply a factual documentary series of this woman's battle with cancer and what her and her husband and family had to go through.

The use of black and white in these photographs makes them much more visually appealing, not glamorizing the illness but perhaps making it more bearable to witness for someone who hasn't had to go through this situation. The black and white to me also signifies time; black and white came before the invention of colour photography. This in my opinion symbolizes the act of looking back on the past, remembering people, places, events etc. This is very helpful when thinking about my own work because I too want to produce images that concern the act of looking to the past and confronting memories of people that are no longer here, as well as challenging notions of aging and how time changes people and places. 

The quote shown above, "Love every morsel of the people in your life" is a quote that Merendino uses on his website after explaining their story from beginning to end. It is something that his wife said before she passed away while she was battling her illness. This quote is significant in my life and in my work, and something that grips me. It is difficult to explain in words but I feel it is so important to respect, love and enjoy every moment spent with the people you care about. This is partly why I have undertaken this project based around my grandparents and family life. I feel it not only gives me a chance to spend more time with them, but to understand more about their lives and be grateful that I have them around.