March 1st, 2026

Prompt: “Mix languages”

Monika Wilczynska

“As an immigrant, born in France to Polish parents, having lived in London, UK for the last 13 years and currently having my family in Spain, France and Belgium, this year’s opening theme felt deeply personal. I speak 4 languages and feel like a slightly different person in each of them. My heart feels different. My voice changes. Even shame fits a differently shaped box depending on whether it’s “wstyd” or “la honte”. Some conversations are too difficult, feel too personal to have in my mother tongue so I resort to English in order to build an invisible protection wall around me. I belong nowhere and everywhere all at once. I’ve never truly felt home anywhere yet I’ll be the first one to travel on my own to some of the most remote places on earth and find familiarity within each new encounter. It’s such a privilege to experience multiple cultures and ways of living within yourself, both through language and through the 5 senses, even if the trade off is a subtle yet permanent feeling of being untethered."

- @elairecreates

"The Inside of My Brain"

Mixed media

London, UK

03/01/26

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