24 IV 1979

Gallery of Modern Art “Pałacyk”, Wrocław

as a part of National creative workshops “Płock 79” – The dispute over the contemporary image of art (23VI – 7VII)

Manifestation description:

The interior of the gallery, the corridor. In the foreground by the entrance there is  a low, white podium bearing the inscription OBJECT. A paving stone is placed on top of the podium. At the far end of the hall stands a higher pedestal, also white. It bears the inscription SUBJECT. To the left under the window there is a table, on it glasses and a bottle of wine. Action. The audience gathers. The artist enters the hall from the interior of the Palace. He wears only wooden covers attached to his hips. In his hands he holds a daily newspaper and a bundle of firewood for kindling. He stops in front of a podium with the word OBJECT. He unties the bundle of wood, crumples the newspaper, lays it on the pavement stone, and covers the crumpled paper with the firewood. He asks for matches. Having received them he lights a fire. The flames get higher and higher. The artist, with previously prepared black paint, inscribes the word CONTENT in block letters on his front hip cover. The fire is burning in earnest. The artist removes the hip covers and places them on the fire so that the word CONTENT is visible as long as possible amid the flames. The covers are made of ordinary boards, without the carved negatives of the body. Naked, he walks up to the podium with the inscription SUBJECT. He takes a paintbrush and, with green paint, puts his signature on it. He then walks over to the table with wine, pours wine into glasses and in turns paints the word DIALOGUE on his body (in different colors, in fact). Once it is completed, he lifts his wine glass and invites those gathered to have a drink, and discuss art.