26 XI 1991

Art Activities Center, Wrocław

Description of the manifestation:

A very large auditorium in the Cultural Center, designed for ballet, theater, and musical rehearsals and performances. Chairs are arranged around the empty space. Among them stand spotlights on tall mounts, directed inward. The harsh walls and ceiling are darkened. In the center of the room, the setup is the same as during the Dialogue with Tadeusz Kantor action. Two tables stand on opposite sides, with a pedestal between them. On one table sits a bottle of vodka and vodka glasses; on the other, a bottle of cognac and glasses; on the pedestal lies a stone. A large audience has already gathered. Someone helps themselves to cognac. The organizers intervene.
Action: The means used in the action are no different from those described in previous manifestations. The essence of the action is the artist’s spoken commentary, in which he reveals his decades-long dialogue with the performance art movement and his sharp dispute with the objectifying trend in art, which he believes threatens to lead to total fetishization. The artist walks between the tables and the pedestal, on which he has placed a rope removed from his neck. At one table, he pours vodka into glasses and paints red stripes on his back. At the other table, he fills glasses with cognac and paints blue stripes on his back. He speaks about his encounters with the Western art world and conflicts in Poland. At the pedestal, he ties knots in the rope and paints white letters on his body. He discusses subsequent disputes with Marcel Duchamp, Andy Warhol, and Tadeusz Kantor. These actions are repeated until the vodka and cognac have been poured into glasses, his back is covered with red and blue stripes, the rope is filled with knots, and the inscription TAJEMNICA (MYSTERY) appears on his chest. The inscription is crowned by a red and white dot painted on his penis. The artist then smashes an empty cognac bottle against the stone, speaking of snobbish criticism that can see a straw in New York but not a beam in Poland. He smashes the vodka bottle, speaking of the provincial and cronyistic arrangements among art critics in Poland. He weaves a wreath from the rope, places it on his head, and stands on the pedestal. He presents himself naked, wearing the rope wreath, his back painted with blue and red stripes, and a red-and-white penis. The white inscription TAJEMNICA (MYSTERY) on the front seems to contradict the exhibitionism of this presentation. The author invites the audience to help themselves to cognac and vodka. A lively discussion ensues.

Author’s commentary [Jerzy Bereś, commentary, manuscript, 1995]: Soon after a large audience had gathered, several young, intoxicated artists attempted to disrupt the event. One of them teasingly poured himself a glass of cognac. They were calmed down by the organizers.

Photo by J. T. Młyński