SHOW + TELL: Leoni Marie Hübner

Björn always reminded me of Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s

Guide to the Galaxy, in which it is said that “any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still knows where his towel is, is clearly a man to be reckoned with“. Even after 50 years in the care system, Björn always knew where his towel was.

Björn is my cousin. His mother, my mother’s half-sister, gave him away when he was young because she suffered from psychosis. Since he was diagnosed as mentally disabled, he was then placed in an institutionalised living environment for the first time. As a young adult, Björn finally chose his aunt Ines, my mother, as his family. From 2007 onwards, I spent more and more time with him and realised that he drew, wrote and photographed a lot – and rarely spoke. Just like me. So that’s what we did, we took photos together.

I am convinced that – at a different time, with a different knowledge of neurodiversity and a better social safety net – Björn could very well have remained part of society. Structural problems in the care system and in dealing with “otherness” in our society have almost cost Björn his life twice, not to mention his life quality. But his humour, which is also evident in his pictures, was unyielding.

So perhaps this is a story about ‘being different’ and a self-determined life in the German care system of the last 50 years. Above all, however, it is a declaration of love to my cousin Björn and to art as our form of communication.

For Björn
*11.06.1958 †07.05.2024
Coolest person I knew