Tell me her story because war is only the half of it

Tell me her story because war is only the half of it is a documentary project based on my family immigration history from Poland to France in 1938.

The project focuses on the journey my grandmother Teresa began with her family when she was 11 years old. Born in 1927, she was raised in Ostrów Wielkopolski which was, before the end of World War II, in the territories of the Republic of Germany. Her family left on the eve of the Second World War and arrived first in Belgium before establishing themselves in France.

No one in my family talked about the past. Teresa’s story is not as obvious as it seems and I believe there is more. Yet, the research done in Poland has not been successful and the story of Teresa still remain hidden.

Tell me her story because war is only the half of it is about my quest to know more about her.

Dorothee Nowak (1982) is a French photographer established in Montreal, Quebec. Coming from Polish origin, her work questions the subject of displacement and migration. Her work has been featured in several collective exhibitions in Canada, and has been published both printed and online.