The Immigration Piece
The Immigration Piece 2021, Oil paint on wood
Context: The painting was made at a time when LGBTQ+ and Women's rights were under attack by the Polish Roman Catholic Church and the Polish Government.
The Immigration Piece is an expression of personal feelings towards my immigration status in the UK at a time of Brexit. The prominent white and red colours form a distorted version of the Polish flag. The harsh black line represents the border between Poland and UK, with my family on the left looking back at the Polish people and our nation on the right. The border is broken in the centre, signifying my lost relationship with Poland and the willingness to reconnect. The palette knife approach to this piece adds texture and symbolises my fragmented personality, torn between two countries, desperately trying to find a middle ground and with that a sense of inner peace.
My feelings towards Poland are a complicated conglomeration of shame, anger and denial mixed with nostalgia, pride and patriotism. The black waves at the bottom of the painting represent the sea dividing the island of the UK and the continent of Europe. It also further depicts the immigration journey. The three lone silhouettes representing my family show our isolation experienced in both countries due to my mother being Polish and my father being British.
Being a Polish child migrant, I grew up to despise my country and see the UK as superior, thanks to the better opportunities it could offer me. Now, as an adult, able to comprehend political situations and becoming heartbroken at the step-backs Poland has taken in regard to human rights, I still find myself wishing to reconnect with my country and appreciate its people, history and art. Brexit has brought forth dormant feelings about being a migrant. Up to this point, I felt British, I still do; however, I do feel a strong connection with the people affected by the current political decisions of the Polish government. I can be both British and Polish. I feel a moral obligation to support the people of my country in the fight against the Polish government.
