Ben Uri Research Unit

Born: 1993 Walbrzych

Year of Migration to the UK: 2012

Biography

Born in Walbrzych, Poland on 5 April 1993, Puskarz immigrated to Britain in 2012 to further her creative studies, having taken photographs extensively growing up, and having participated in the local amateur photographic society in her home city. She initially attended the Access to Higher Education in Fashion course at University of the Arts London (UAL, 2012-13) before enrolling in a BA in fashion photography at the London College of Fashion, UAL, graduating in 2016. During her course, Puskarz had the honour of photographing Sophie, Countess of Wessex, the college's patron, when she visited its East End sites in April 2016.

Through her photographic work, Puskarz is interested in exploring and challenging national stereotypes, as well as capturing the interplay of high and low culture. Her candid photographs are mostly taken on film, and examine street style while offering a documentary look into fashion. In her artist’s book, PL-Land (2016) which was shown in Ben Uri's 2017 exhibition, Art Out of the Bloodlands: A Century of Polish Artists in Britain, she investigated the issues surrounding Polish emigration, identity and EU instability, drawing from a rich Polish heritage of art and national costume, creating a narrative through her own words and photographs.

Puskarz originally came to London to study, but soon realised that her reasons for staying were more deeply rooted. She has observed that living in Britain gave her the opportunity to live a life that is true to herself. Subsequently, she undertook an extensive period of global travel during 2016-2018. In 2019, Hanna Puskarz relocated to Geelong, Australia, with her Australian husband, where she continues to live and to pursue photographic projects with her spouse, acknowledging, nevertheless, that she will always be a citizen of Poland. Her work is not currently held in UK public collections.

Related books

Rachel Dickson, ed., From Adler to Zulawski: A Century of Polish Artists in Britain (BURU, London, 2020)
Hanna Puskarz, PL-Land (2016) (https://www.blurb.co.uk/b/7197425-pl-land)

Selected exhibitions

Art Out of the Bloodlands: A Century of Polish Artists in Britain, Ben Uri Gallery and Museum (2017)

Ben Uri archive

Consult items in the Ben Uri archive related to [Hanna Puskarz]

Ben Uri Research Unit

for the study and digital recording of the Jewish, Refugee and wide Immigrant contribution to British visual culture since 1900.

Hanna Puskarz artist