Meetings with exceptional women documented in pictures and words. Alien, anonymous women have allowed me into their intimate worlds, becoming important acquaintances. I am enchanted by their stories, I admire their energy and internal power. My camera shortens the distance between us, serving as a pretext for conversation; it allows me to ask questions that otherwise I would have never dared to ask.
We talk about their identity: Who are they? What are they trying to achieve? How they see their roles and place in the world? What femininity means for them? Has their self-awareness changed when exposed to another culture? How far can their cultural distinctiveness and identification with the surroundings be compromised?
I ask these questions to young women who have decided to leave the countries of their origins and move to Poland. Their everyday lives are in constant confrontation with a new reality – they overcome obstacles and search for their true self – but most of all they show great power and determination in following their dreams. Their stories, like a mirror, reflect Polish society – our openness, hospitality, traditions and beliefs, but also our national complexes and xenophobia.
The cycle of fifteen portraits supplemented with conversations has been created in a course of a dozen months. In these simple photos, deprived of associations with the cultural background I am looking for the natural beauty and uniqueness of my models. The photos allow looking into the women’s eyes and seeing who they really are.
Living in Poland, women from Angola, Belarus, Bulgaria, Georgia, India, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kenya, South Korea, Mexico, Moldova, Uzbekistan, Russia, Sweden, Turkey and Ukraine participated in the project.
