Project statement
Leaving the place I come from, I became an immigrant — forever a stranger. I live between memories and a reality that surprises me every day. Nowhere feels like home.
Ewa Hoffman wrote in her book ‘Lost in Translation’:
“The soul can shrivel from an excess of critical distance, and if I don’t want to remain in arid internal exile for the rest of my life, I have to find a way to lose alienation without losing myself. But how does one bend toward another culture without falling over, how does one strike an elastic balance between rigidity and self-effacement?”
(translation: Wojtek Kutyla)
By putting on the mask of a strange creature, I disappear. I can be myself, yet also stand out. Though visible, I am ignored by most people. I give the camera to others to see myself in the mirror.
This project is a work in progress (2024-). It was created during the mentorship in the Sputnik Photos Mentoring Programme.
Collaborators
Rafał Marciniak, Marta Dąbrówka, Maciej Bargieła, Magdalena Pilarska
Photographs
This project is a work in progress. Please follow Wojtek’s Instagram for regular updates.