A different life together is possible.
Online discussion

Poland is one of the world leaders in accepting migrant workers. In spite of this, current political narrative still relies on archaic, often stigmatising categories that divide residents of Poland: into citizens and non-citizens. “Aliens” often become objects of fear or hate. Such a dissonance in the enforced immigration policy results in complicating the integration processes, or even discrimination and exclusion.

In this situation, it seems crucial to seek and introduce to the public debate new language that would focus on integration instead of division. How to oppose the aversion to “others”? What language could immigrants use to defend their rights? What values and symbols are necessary in order to protect human rights? Can art be helpful in this process? During the online discussion we will consider on what to base our actions so that they could change the direction of the currently adopted national narratives.

The discussion will be part of Marta Romankiv’s “Elections” project.

Link to the Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9788238423?pwd=dWxlTUVaS1JBNkt6WWtLQVNxMjNTZz09

Meeting ID: 978 823 8423

Password: Wybory

Participants:

Prof. Witek Klaus – board member of the Association for Legal Intervention (SIP), PhD in Law, professor at the Institute of Law Studies Polish Academy of Sciences, researcher in the Centre of Migration Research of the University of Warsaw, criminologist and migration scholar; graduate of the Human Rights School of the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights as well as the Postgraduate Programme in Social Programmes Evaluation offered by the Institute of Sociology, University of Warsaw; laureate of the Social Nobel 2008 for social innovators (awarded by the Ashoka Foundation – Innovators for the Public).

Marta Romankiv – born in Lviv, interdisciplinary artist, creator of installations, video art and social situations. The artist is interested in all sorts of minorities, especially in connection with the issues of nationality, citizenship and related social inequalities, identity issues and legal problems. She lives and works in Poland.

Ivanna Berchak – interdisciplinary artist, independent curator, art mediator. She received her master’s degree in Art Mediation and completed second cycle studies in Painting. She participated in numerous projects, festivals, she organises exhibitions, conducts educational activities and writes about art. She worked as an assistant in Foksal Gallery Foundation and Fotograf Gallery (Prague). Since 2017 she has been running the Ukrainian Gallery in Warsaw. She currently works in the archive of Magdalena Więcek.

Yulia Krivich – visual artist, photographer. She graduated from the Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture in her hometown Dnipro as well as the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw (Faculty of Media Art). She participated in numerous individual and group shows, including her solo exhibition “Boldness and Youth” in the Wroclaw Contemporary Museum in 2017 and the “Exhibition of Foreign Artists Living in Poland” in Biennale Warszawa in 2019. Laureate of the ShowOFF section of the Cracow Photography Month (2015), scholarship holder of the National Center for Culture (2016), laureate of the Pinchuk Art Center in Kiev (2018). In her art, she raises questions about identity, combining documentary elements with creation, and political themes with personal history. She works with public space (actions “In Ukraine”, and “Letter”). Collaborator of Radio Kapitał, where she presents the programme “SAMI SVOI”. She lives and works in Warsaw.

Feras Daboul – cultural mentor in the Help Center for Foreigners at the Ocalenie Foundation, intercultural educator, Arabic teacher and translator. He also teaches in the Jacek Kuroń Multicultural Secondary School in Humanities. He graduated from the Center of American Studies, University of Warsaw, where his major interests included audio-visual culture, art and society. Laureate of the Polcul Foundation for his work in helping refugees in Poland. Feras works for the integration of foreigners in Poland and improving the perception of migrants by Polish society. He was born in 1986 in Damascus, Syria, and he lives in Warsaw since September 2012. Before coming to Poland he worked for the UNHCR in Damascus.

Vera Zalutskaya (1991, Grodno, Belarus) – contemporary art curator and coordinator. Interests mainly in art of Eastern and Central Europe in the context of postcolonial studies. In 2014 she graduated from the European Humanities University in Vilnius (educational program Theory and practices of contemporary art). Studied also Art history and Culturology: comparative studies of civilization on the Jagiellonian University in Krakow.