'There Were Three Sisters, Who Only Had Two Shirts' – an exhibition by Justyna Mielnikiewicz | Event

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Sat, 03/02/2024 - 17:58 - Sun, 09/01/2024 - 17:58

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'There Were Three Sisters, Who Only Had Two Shirts' – an exhibition by Justyna Mielnikiewicz at the National Museum of the Romanian Peasant in Bucharest and the National Museum of Ethnography in Warsaw.

Opening 2 March 2024, the National Museum of the Romanian Peasant in Bucharest is hosting an exhibition of photographs by Justyna Mielnikiewicz that form a photographic journey through the multiculturalism of Bukovina. Commissioned by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute (IAM), the exhibition is a prelude to the POLAND-ROMANIA Cultural Season 2024/2025. From May 18th to September 1st 2024, the exhibition will be transferred to the National Museum of Ethnography in Warsaw.

The photo reportage There Were Three Sisters, Who Only Had Two Shirts documents part of Bukovina, in particular Suceava County, which includes Poiana Micului, Solonețu Nou and Pleșa. For centuries, this has been an area inhabited by Romania’s Polish minority, descendants of the so-called Czadecki Highlanders who arrived in Bukovina over 200 years ago. Today, Poles living in Romania are officially recognised as a national minority and have representation in Romanian Parliament. In Bukovina, representatives of many cultures live side by side, influencing and inspiring each other – Armenians, Jews, Germans, Greeks, Hutsuls, Italians, Hungarians, Roma, Ukrainians, Old Believers (Lipovans) and Poles are all neighbours here.

Justyna Mielnikiewicz created her photo reportage around the daily lives of the region's inhabitants, accompanying them during religious ceremonies, harvest festivals and school competitions. Getting to know their individual stories was also a vital aspect.

The photographer also raises the question of how the residents define their national identity:

I asked the heroes of my photos how they feel: Polish or Romanian, and what patriotism means to them [...] Many Poles returned to Poland after the Second World War, but those who remained until today do not plan to go back. After Poland and Romania (and in their perspective, Ukraine) became part of the European Union, the boundary of imagination of where one can live is only the horizon, and identification as Polish, Romanian or European is today more of a personal choice than an official verdict.

'There were three sisters, who only had two shirts' – Justyna Mielnikiewicz [gallery]

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Justyna Mielnikiewicz is a highly-respected Polish photojournalist. She works with editorial offices such as The New York Times, Eurasianet.org, Newsweek, Le Monde and Stern. She most often works in former Soviet republics, photographing current events. In 2022, her exhibition 'Ukraine Runs Through It' was presented at the International PHOTO IS:RAEL Photography Festival thanks to support from IAM.

The exhibition is organised in collaboration with the Polish Institute in Bucharest and the International Cultural Centre.

The Adam Mickiewicz Institute is a national cultural institution established in 2000. The institute's goal of building a lasting interest in Polish culture around the world is achieved through collaboration with foreign partners and through international cultural exchange in dialogue with audiences, in line with the principles of Polish foreign policy. The institute has implemented projects in over 70 countries on 6 continents, including the United Kingdom, France, Israel, Germany, Turkey, the USA, Canada, Australia, Morocco, Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, as well as China, Japan and South Korea.

Venue

National Museum of the Romanian Peasant in Bucharest

National Ethnographic Museum in Warsaw

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romania

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