Opening Reception: Julianna Kirwin: Babcia

Julianna Kirwin’s upcoming show at Hecho a Mano is titled Babcia, which means “grandmother” in Polish. The majority of her work in the show honors her relationship with her own Polish grandmother, who came from a rural area near Krakow and immigrated to the US alone and settled in New Britain, CT in a neighborhood known as Little Poland. Beginning in the early 20th century, New Britain was settled by Polish immigrants who came to work in the “Hardware City of the World,” and the neighborhood still celebrates Polish culture with shops featuring Polish-made goods and many residents still speaking their native language.

Because her grandmother only spoke Polish, a language Kirwin never learned, the two communicated through hands-on activities. “She has meant a lot to me and has influenced me as an artist,” Kirwin says.

Her work in this show strives to recreate her grandmother’s kitchen through woodblock, linocut and monotype, as well as 3D pieces and relief prints that will be wheat-pasted to the gallery wall. Kirwin brings the kitchen to life through the every-day objects that remind her of her grandmother: her aprons, cookware, tablecloth, the food they would prepare together and her long hair, which she would comb for hours every day.

“More than anything, her generosity and the details of her kitchen and neighborhood fascinated me as a kid,” Kirwin says.