GRANICA

[2022 - 2023 ]

Granica [\gra.ni.tsa] is derived from the old Slavic word "gran," which means "mountain ridge." Today, it means "border" in Polish.

A dense and ancestral forest stretches along the border between Poland and Belarus. It was in this forest that the Minsk Agreement, which led to the dissolution of the USSR, was signed on December 8, 1991. Today, a 186 km wall marks the border between these two countries. Between 2022 and 2023, I traveled to this border zone on the Polish side to meet different characters. I wanted to experience this border and try to perceive, through these encounters, the multiple tensions that characterize this region today. During my stays, I met refugees from Ukraine, refugees from southern countries, as well as local residents. Although each of them revealed a unique perception of this border, they were all closely linked to it, whether in the banality of daily life or in the emergence of challenges. The border creates a reality that affects the lives of those who live nearby. All these individual stories, which initially seemed distinct, end up sharing a common experience of the border.

This project is developed as part of a mentoring program with the Regnier fund for creation and the VU' agency.