"Although Mirosław Bałka is considered to be one of the most outstanding living Polish artists, and the bibliography of catalogues and essays on him is very rich, there is still no comprehensive study that would summarise the artist's work and propose his biographical path. Considering, among other things, Bałka's 'poetic' and almost 'obsessive' relationship with his hometown of Otwock, with the memories, traditions and history of this region of Poland, it seems to me that this project is indispensable" - writes prof. Laura Quercioli of the Universita di Genova about the artist. And to further publicise Bałka's work, prof. Quercioli will conduct research at the Institute of Literary Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences, using the 'Polonista' NAWA grant. The work will be organised along two intertwining paths: biographical and artistic. Prof Quercioli will focus on several fundamental issues: the capacity of the visual arts to stimulate or represent the ,,memory work" required by the contemporary world, the relationship between art and physical place, and finally the obligations we would like to see implicit in artistic creation, to produce, in ever different forms, testimony and an attitude of ethical responsibility towards what exists. The research conducted in Poland will be directed at the extent to which the parameters of the national collective discourse can define or direct the artist's expression. We look forward to seeing the results and to publication.