The long-term project “Transient Ties” explores the process of alienating oneself from one’s original cultural identity due to forced migration. It is situated between Greece and Slovakia, and it was originally inspired by a personal story of the artist’s grandmother who was born in northern Greece. Her family and herself had to escape their homeland due to the Greek Civil War (1946–1949), without ever being repatriated or returning back. The grandmother’s roots were lost once she had to integrate and adapt to the culture of socialist Czechoslovakia. She has never been able to properly reunite with her homeland and Greece continues to represent a mysterious land, from which she was uprooted. This work reflects on the “Greek-ness” she was stripped of, and the “Slovak-ness” she had to embrace, observing the dynamics between the construction of a personal and national identity.
Michaela Nagyidaiová is a documentary photographer based in Bratislava. Drawing inspiration from past events, she usually works on long-term personal projects that allow her to combine her photographs with text and archival materials.
