The project entitled 鈥淢oja si艂a, moje pi臋kno鈥� [My Strength, My Beauty] is an exceptionally moving story about returning to oneself. It focuses on women who, after difficult experiences related to illness, decide to look at themselves in the mirror anew in order to rediscover a smile, acceptance and inner peace. The initiative constitutes both an artistic and therapeutic record of a journey from fear and disorientation towards the discovery of a new, mature inner strength.
The photographs of the women were created in various parts of Poland as a result of cooperation with nine phototherapists: Paulina Kawalec, Magdalena K艂oczko, Izabela Kubi艣, El偶bieta Mi艂osz, Justyna Musia艂, Ma艂gorzata Pacholska, Martyna P艂aczek, Dominika Pulkowska and Anna Wali艣.
The social and educational dimension of art
The initiative goes far beyond the traditional framework of a photographic exhibition, fitting into a deeply understood concept of social responsibility. The project creates real value for the community by giving a voice to people whose struggles often remain in the background. The educational dimension of this initiative is based on building awareness around mental well鈥慴eing and demonstrating how important working with one鈥檚 own emotions in the healing process is. Here, the camera was used not only to capture images but also became a gentle pretext for conversation, for shared presence in mindfulness and for coming to terms with what is most difficult about illness. From the perspective of social support, the project offered women a safe space in which they could symbolically shed the burden of diagnosis and remind themselves of their own worth. It is a shared and profoundly important lesson in unconditional love for one鈥檚 body and respect for the difficult history it carries within.
The exhibition will remain on display on the premises of the Faculty of Philology even after the conclusion of the International Psychological Conference. We warmly encourage all students, academic staff and employees to come and see it. It is worth taking a moment between everyday responsibilities to look at the process of recovery from a new perspective.