Poland

Arleta

Age 53

Photo: ???

Arleta told:

Tangle. It's constantly tangled. Great, but terribly exhausting. You want to explain it, find the rules and not struggle with it. The only thing I did - feminism emerged for me. I thought that if I'm to have something that defines me, besides being a cis woman, being a lesbian - for which I got hit in the head many times, because lesbian isn't our world's idea, but hetero's idea and it's loaded. We also worked on this lesbian identity, not that they just slapped this label on us. My identities are projects. They take different forms. How I get along with people depends on what approach they have to the project. I was born at a moment when my consciousness fell on 1989 [the fall of communism] - a time of total tangle. I'm a child of misalliance [mixed-class marriage] - also a mess, you don't belong anywhere, something's always grinding on you (...) I met my partner through projects. Only this way can I communicate with another person. Through shared work you can learn everything about a person. I feel time is running out. Iza Filipiak [famous Polish lesbian writer] said: 'Do you think I'll live three hundred years to accomplish all of this?' Look how everything has accelerated. Suddenly you're gone. You must act in many fields, advocate for yourself, remind them of yourself. I could live three hundred years, only if I couldn't age anymore."

About the project in Poland

Art educator Monika Mizielińska facilitated creative workshops where participants explored queer aging through artistic expression. Using materials provided on-site, they created diverse artworks reflecting their visions, hopes, and concerns about the future.

Contact

Linn Sandberg

Project investigator

linn.sandberg@sh.se

Contact

Linn Sandberg

Project investigator

linn.sandberg@sh.se

Contact

Linn Sandberg

Project investigator

linn.sandberg@sh.se

Contact

Linn Sandberg

Project investigator

linn.sandberg@sh.se