New Collections: Go Home Polish

In 2008, Cardiff-based, Polish-born artist, Michal Iwanowski, came across graffiti near his home that read ‘Go Home Polish’. Ten years later, amidst the backdrop of Brexit and a divided Europe, he undertook a gruelling 1900km journey on foot between Wales and Poland. He walked through Wales, England, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and the Czech Republic in as straight a line as possible to reach his destination.
Iwanowski’s motivation was to explore and understand the notion of ‘home’. His journey took 105 days to complete, throughout which he posted a diary of his experiences and encounters on Instagram. Each post is presented here through a series of lightboxes, with a selection of these images presented as a sequence of large-scale photographs. Iwanowski collaborated with musicians Gwenno and W H Dyfodol on two songs to accompany the project, which were featured in a short film of the same name that won the Iris Prize in 2020.
Amgueddfa Cymru acquired Go Home Polish in 2020 during the Covid pandemic when ‘home’ became central to everyone’s world. Five years on from its creation, the project continues to resonate deeply in the ever-evolving times within which we are living.