Again, Łódź at my drawing desk. This time I made a three page comic short with Robert Popielecki, a man whose writing I admired from a long time. I’ve met Robert in 2013, at the City Stories workshop. Although we were not working as a team we befriended and now we’ve started our cooperation on short stories from the streets of Łodz. “Tryptyk Bałucki” (Tryptych of Bałuty) was published in the catalogue of International Festival of Comic and Games 2014.

Robert lives on Bałuty, a part of the city that doesn’t have the best fame. Poverty and high unemployment create a specific climate of the area. There is some crime, some violence. But also: some creativity, some love, and a lot of mixed emotions. To strangers Bałuty can seem like hell, but to people who live there it is home. No matter if they have a shelter or live homeless life. Robert Popielecki is a shrewd observer, but not only he uses his ears, capturing the juicy dialogue of the street, but most of all – he uses his heart. His sensitivity allows him to express the sympathy for his heroes in the most subtle way. He is not judging, just exposing.