Do You Miss Your Country? by Monika Szydłowska GN TP

The subject of emigration affects every Polish person. If not directly, then through family and friends. Now anyone can be an emigrant, from a mechanic to a violinist. They can keep in touch with relatives on Skype, shop in a Polish shop, wait for their first payment in pounds or euros. These things have become a generational experience. The blog Na emigracji. takes this universal theme. It has been maintained since October 2013 and watched by more than 10,000 fans. By using a style reminiscent of comic illustration it relates the trials and tribulations of immigrants who have decided to move to the British Isles. The minimalist watercolors are enriched with text (both in Polish and English), used to highlight or outline the nuances of common experiences and unexpected situations faced by a Pole outside Poland. They are frequently comical – either through laying bare prevailing stereotypes (on both sides) or through making wry observations of cultural differences. The blog has strong autobiographical themes and is partially a documentation. It’s a little report, a diary and above all an artistic record of experiences in which millions of Polish emigrants and their relatives can see reflections of themselves.