I’m an immigrant. I always think it’s important to establish that at the start. I moved here from Poland in 2004, after Poland joined the EU. I’m also queer, and rights for queer people in Poland are always hanging in the electoral balance. I felt I would suffocate there. So as soon as I could, I moved to the UK. I came to Newcastle for practical reasons – I had free accommodation in a house with Polish factory labourers. The city reminded me of Silesia, a post-industrial region of Poland, and I hated it at first. The culture shock was huge and I didn’t speak English. I took an intensive English course but I mainly learnt the language by partying hard at Egypt Cottage, a pub that was demolished long ago.
Boat Picnic by Kuba Ryniewicz, part of the series Good Eggs, 2024-ongoing © Courtesy the artist
I’d been dabbling in photography in Poland, shooting the 1990s grunge scene, but nothing serious. For me, photography is connected to the Buddhist philosophy of living in the present moment. I don’t like nostalgia. But I think I also take photographs out of fear of losing something – the people, the places. It’s always at the back of my mind, somewhere, thinking that I’ll never meet that person again in the same circumstances.
