HOMELAND

Title: Homeland

Photography Credits: Paulina Korobkiewicz, Sylwia Ciszewska-Peciak, Yuxi Hou, Ismail Khokon, Marcin Forys

Editor and Contributors: Centrala, Nana Katsia, Paulina Korobkiewicz

Publisher: Centrala

Publication: Birmingham, 2024

Edition: 300 copies

Size: 23.5 x 16.5 cm

Number of pages: 170

Format: Softback, PUR glued binding with inline gathering

Type of printing: Offset, one-sided matte lamination, matte dispersion varnish

Paper: Matte Coated 150 gsm, (cover 300 gsm)

Essays: Rafailia Thiraiou, Sara Jones, Alicja Kaczmarek

Design and Technical Support for Pre-Printing: Alexandra Demina, David Janiashvili

Printed by: Drukarnia Beltrani

Collaborators: Centrala, University of Birmingham and Nottingham Trent University

Funding Information: The production of this book was supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) as part of the project Post Socialist Britain: Memory, Representation and Political Identity amongst German, Polish and Ukrainian Immigrants in the UK (AH/V001779/1).

Stocklists: Centrala Birmingham

ISBN: 978-0-704429-840-0

In memory of Michał Sikorski, Sikor

Homeland is a photobook and exhibition catalogue capturing the outcome of photographer Paulina Korobkiewicz’s 18-month residency at Centrala, realised between West Bromwich and Hyson Green. Exploring themes of political identity, belonging, memory, and representation, this project examines the lives and spaces of migrant communities, especially Polish migrants, in these multicultural towns. Through her photographs, Korobkiewicz documents people and the physical landscapes—buildings, streets, and public spaces—that reflect a fusion of cultural identities, nostalgia, and contemporary life.

Throughout the residency, Korobkiewicz established close relationships with community members, joining local celebrations, and leading dialogues to understand how migrant communities interact within and influence these neighbourhoods. Her work is accompanied by photographic projects from Sylwia Ciszewska-Peciak, Yuxi Hou, Ismail Khokon, and Marcin Forys, members of the Central European Photography Club, with whom she collaborated as a mentor. Together, their work creates a collective portrait of migration, belonging, and visibility.

This artist residency forms part of ‘Post-Socialist Britain?’, a research initiative exploring memory, representation, and political identity among German, Polish, and Ukrainian immigrants in the UK. The project was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and developed in collaboration with the University of Birmingham and Nottingham Trent University. Curated by Rafailia Thiraiou, Homeland serves as both a visual archive and an exhibition catalogue.