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Exhibition showcasing over 80 years of Polish and Ukrainian stories of migration opens in Bradford

Published July 3, 2025

Tu i Tam/Tyt i Tam will be in the gallery of Loading Bay from the 3 July to the 27 July .  The exhibition charts important stories of migration, dating back to 1940 to the modern day.  

With images from family albums, personal testimonies and a range of photography – including images taken by Bradford’s own Tim Smith, who’s been documenting the city’s Polish and Ukrainian communities for more than four decades- Tu i Tam/Tyt i Tam offers an intimate snapshot into the lives of these communities.  

Contributors to the exhibition include : Anatol Krakowiecki, Alexander Vasukovich, Alena Grom , Barry Lewis, Czesław Siegieda, Igor Chekachkov, Karol Wyszynski, Michał Iwanowski, Maxim Dondyuk, Patrycja Maziarz and Tim Smith whose collective work spans the past eighty years. 

Tu i Tam/Tyt i Tam has been curated in partnership with Łódź Fotofestiwal in Poland, one of the biggest photography festivals in central Europe and will be accompanied by a programme of special events related to the exhibition. The exhibition is part of the British Council UK/Poland Season 2025 which is a diverse programme of over 100 multi-artform events in 40 cities in both countries. The season will invigorate the UK-Poland cultural dialogue in addressing global challenges and will open new opportunities for cultural leaders and the next generation of artists. 

 

For more information, please visit: https://bradford2025.co.uk/event/tu-i-tam-tyt-i-tam/  

 

 

Working in collaboration with Łódź Fotofestiwal, as part of the British Council’s UK/Polish season, “Tu i Tam/Tyt i Tam- Here & There, documents important Polish and Ukrainian stories of settling in Bradford post-World War 2 to present day. Tim and Marta have curated a rich and layered exhibition, needed in today’s climate, reminding us of the meaning of refuge and community.

The exhibition, which has been created in partnership with Łódź Fotofestiwal. Curated by Tim Smith and Marta Szymańska. Commissioned by Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture and British Council Poland. 
Shanaz Gulzar Creative Director for Bradford 2025, UK City of Culture
Ever since I arrived in Bradford in 1985 I’ve been fascinated by the stories of the city’s Polish and Ukrainian communities. Since then I’ve gone on to explore them locally, nationally and internationally.  

This exhibition will be the culmination of this work. At its heart are themes of journey, exile, identity and the search for home. It uses my own photography and film alongside other images by a pan-European team of talented photographers, and will amplify stories that are an important part of a shared British, Polish and Ukrainian history, but are little known by wider society.  

Local people have also loaned a wide variety of objects and ephemera that enable fascinating views into their lives. It’s been a real privilege to collaborate with them, using our joint endeavors to reflect these stories back to these communities themselves, and to share them with other audiences.
Tim Smith Photographer and curator