Ewelina bialoszewska
GROWING ALBUM
“GROWING ALBUM is a photo book that allows you to plant your ‘home’ wherever you are. The book is made from handmade paper crafted with plant seeds and photographs from my homeland, Poland.
The seeds used come from the plants shown in the images. The paper itself, just like the photographs, carries a personal story: it was created from old maps of my hometown and carefully archived newspaper cuttings from my grandmother.
The photographs in the book often appear faded, as temporary as our memories. As a viewer, you are invited to plant the entire book and let your ‘home’ take root wherever you are in the world.”
Through the GROWING ALBUM, Ewelina Bialoszewska engages themes of migration and identity. The book offers the opportunity to carry a piece of “home” with you, allowing it to grow in a new context.
“The GROWING ALBUM transforms memories into something concrete. One of my personal memories is picking tomatoes in my grandmother’s garden in Poland. I preserved the seeds from those tomatoes and integrated them into an image of her garden. The seeds carry a piece of home and symbolize continuity. At the same time, they serve as a metaphor for rootedness, representing our ability to grow and thrive in new environments.”
With the GROWING ALBUM, Ewelina Bialoszewska explores new methods of photographic presentation. By combining various materials, embedding seeds into the paper-making process, and using transfer printing techniques, she creates a unique book that transforms photography into a tangible, interactive experience.
The GROWING ALBUM is an invitation for us to approach the questions of our origin, identity, and belonging with the same openness and attentiveness as Ewelina Bialoszewska does in her work.