29 May 2008
Documenting the first significant wave of Polish immigrants to settle in London in the 1950's, the exhibition features images by community photographer Jan Markiewicz. Incredibly, the entire collection of photos and negatives was recently discovered intact in a skip in Brixton.
Set in the by-gone "Age of Elegance", Markiewicz's sensitive portrayal of the blossoming Polish community captures many aspects of their lively social history, customs and culture. The pictures document the weddings, births, christenings, dances and scenes from the life of the intelligentsia and the Polish Government in Exile. They beautifully illustrate the close bonds, high hopes and aspirations of this lost generation of Poles, a few of whom still consider themselves to be 'the real Polish emigr'.
Having discovered the forgotten images, Nicole Tattersall sorted through 1,000s of photographs to select over 50 of the images to be presented here. "I used to go to Polish Saturday school in London which was run by various Poles of this post-war emigrgeneration. I did not realise just how special these Poles really were until many years later, after discovering these photos, and learning more of their history and the extraordinary struggles and triumphs that united them."
This free exhibition is on at The Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum, 20 Princes Gate, South Kensington, London, from 13-26 June 2008.