The artistic residency of Marina Pietrocola in Wrocław began with an alliance between two curators: Sangmin Cha, affiliated with Folkestone Fringe, and the curator representing the Wrocław Institute of Culture. This collaboration became the conceptual point of departure for a project whose ambition was to initiate a dialogue with the Korean community living in Wrocław and in Bielany Wrocławskie. The choice of this group stemmed from curiosity and a desire to work with a community that coexists alongside the Polish majority yet remains largely invisible in the everyday life of the city.
Entering the project was not straightforward. It required groundwork, the arrangement of meetings, and repeated attempts to build intercultural trust. Before the artist could embark on any creative process, it became necessary to conduct a curatorial investigation: mapping the places where Koreans spend time and learning the rhythms of life within this diverse community.
The research unfolded simultaneously in two areas: Wrocław’s city centre, particularly around the market square and streets where Korean restaurants operate, and Bielany Wrocławskie, a satellite town in the Kobierzyce municipality. It was precisely there, in the immediate vicinity of Wrocław’s Partynice and Klecina districts, that the development of a local Korean community began, following the establishment of LG Solution factories and the arrival of employees with their families on multi-year contracts. In the 1990s, Bielany was still a typical agricultural village; however, strategic actions taken by the local mayor led to a rapid transformation aimed at attracting corporate headquarters. Changes in land-use status, the arrival of major companies, and the dynamic growth of industry turned the municipality into one of the wealthiest in the region.
This local context, combined with the historical layers of neighbouring Partynice and Klecina – once elegant pre-war suburbs later heavily damaged during the battles of 1945 – added another dimension to the project. These sites, shaped by war, communism and late capitalism, became spaces where different models of migration and economic development intersect, revealing how past and present socio-political transformations continue to shape contemporary communities.
Marina Pietrocola, a photographer working at the intersection of documentary art and socially engaged practice, entered this environment with an explicit interest in Korean culture, in people, and in intricate relationships between personal narratives and public space. Her approach weaves together image and text, attentive observation, and the construction of narrative through intimate relationships with those she photographs. This methodology resonated strongly with the project’s context, where the gradual building of trust was essential. Marina undertook the challenge of creating conditions in which the presence of a camera would not become a barrier, but instead function as a tool for establishing relationships. This demanding process absorbed many weeks of the residency, further underscoring the value of the artistic and research-driven approach she pursued.
The first stage of the residency focused on acquiring knowledge about the community. Essential to this were consultations with Martyna Wyleciał and Marta Niewiadomska, experts in Korean culture and literature who run a lecture series at the Lower Silesian Public Library and collaborate with the library’s Window on Korea section. There, the artist and curators familiarised themselves with cultural materials and, crucially, with frameworks for understanding communication styles, cultural nuances and the everyday rhythms of the Korean diaspora. A study visit to Bielany Wrocławskie, led by Szymon Maraszewski, further deepened this understanding of a district that remains almost empty during the day, becoming animated only in the evening when corporate employees return home.
At the same time, the artist began regularly visiting owners of Korean-run businesses in the centre of Wrocław, including restaurants, shops and service venues. The colourful ornaments, intense lighting, visual richness of the food and distinctive ways of running these businesses created a vivid contrast with the more austere industrial landscape of Bielany Wrocławskie. Over time, Marina gained the trust of several business owners and, in some locations, was permitted to photograph them. A selection of these portraits was later transformed into a series of dedicated stickers, each serving as a visual signature of the respective venue involved in the project.
Portraits of owners and images of dishes formed the basis for creating a map of Korean businesses, distributed across various locations in Wrocław. A city game centred on collecting stickers opened the project to a wider audience, becoming an educational tool that encouraged residents to explore Korean culture through the city’s geography.
A crucial moment in building relationships was the organisation of the first Polish–Korean meeting at the Wrocław Institute of Culture. During this gathering, Marina presented her idea for a small photo-text magazine documenting differences in gestures, language, communication styles and everyday cultural practices. The publication is scheduled for free distribution across the city at the end of 2025. Its accessible format aligns with the project’s goal of building bridges between Polish and Korean cultures.
In parallel, the artist began working on a series of family portraits, redefining the notion of “family” by presenting relationships that do not always conform to traditional frameworks. One portrait features the owner of Oseyo25 posing with her Polish co-workers, whom she regards as her closest circle. In another case, a Polish–Korean couple running a Korean cosmetics shop invited the artist into their private home, where Marina created a studio portrait.
Through persistence in her artistic investigation, the artist gained access to spaces typically closed to outsiders. She visited the Korean School and attended a service of the Korean Christian community, made possible by the openness of the local pastor. Throughout the residency, the project was supported by Sangmin Cha, who provided conceptual guidance and took part in regular consultations. At the same time, another Magic Carpets resident, photographer Mariami Giunashvili (Mzesu), conducted a parallel photographic research process within the same community.
The residency culminated in a joint presentation of results in the form of a pop-up event at one of the project’s collaborating venues – Oseyo25.
Developing through a rhythm of research, meetings and repeated attempts to approach the community, the project demonstrates that curatorial and artistic work grounded in relationship-building requires time, attentiveness and a willingness to step outside one’s comfort zone. Marina Pietrocola’s residency represents only the beginning of a broader process of cultural exchange between Polish and Korean communities. The project will continue in the next residency cycle, but already it constitutes a crucial investigative foundation for initiating meaningful future change.
Artist: Marina Pietrocola
Curators: Paulina Brelińska-Garsztka, Sangmin Cha
Partners: Lower Silesian Public Library, Szymon Maraszewski, Martyna Wyleciał (Azjatycka Półka), Marta Niewiadomska (Pani od koreańskiego), Oseyo25, Bingsu House, Aura3AM, ManiToGo, Seoul97 Cafe, Darea, Fathers’ Kitchen, Ottugi – Asian Food, Piekarnia Girumi, U&I Mart, Secret Garden.
Curatorial text by Paulina Brelińska-Garsztka