Strangeness as an analytical category in the study of Polish émigré artist

Biographical interviews conducted among Polish émigré artists revealed several key categories. One of them is the strangeness, which turned out to be a complex and multifaceted category. In “mythologies” of artists the feeling of strangeness, otherness, and even hostility of the outside world reveals itself very often and becomes part of biography and ethos of an artist. Emigration generally exacerbates this condition. However, the emigrant experiences strangeness not only in a new place of residence, the prolonged absence from the home country also has its own consequences. As a result, very often they experience double strangeness: in their left home country and in the new place of residence. However, that does not mean, that feeling of strangeness connects only with suffering. Many artists are able to take advantage of this inconvenience, finding in this state their matter, subject, stimulation for creative work. These artists continually derive inspiration from being a stranger. In the article by referring to the collected biographical data I would like to show different trajectories of foreignness and various creative strategies used by artists emigrants. Strangeness will be shown as a key category in the description of their biographical experience but also as not entirely unambiguous category.