Hanna Jarzabek

Tomorrow we inaugurate the "Patriotic Games" exhibition at Spectrum Photography in Zaragoza. Sponsors: Castellón Museum of Fine Arts, Valencia Institute of Culture.

Just 30 years ago, Poland fought for the restoration of freedom and democracy. Today, it stands as a deeply divided country, where the ruling party promotes an idealized image of the Polish patriot as a heterosexual, fervently Catholic, pro-military, and ultra-nationalist individual. Those who deviate from this model are often marginalized as second-class citizens or even deemed enemies of the nation. In this exhibition, I aim to contemplate the current state of the country I left 27 years ago.

This body of work was undertaken during three visits to Poland between 2016 and 2019. Throughout these trips, I documented military programs in public schools, far-right demonstrations, and anti-LGBT campaigns.