29 X 1990

BWA Gallery in Zielona Góra

Manifestation held during the opening of the solo exhibition “Sculptures, documents”

Description of the manifestation:

In the exhibition hall, amidst a densely displayed array of sculptures, stands a white pedestal approximately 60 cm high. Action: The standard ritual of an official opening. The artist stands naked nearby, with a rope noose around his neck. A young woman hands him a bouquet of flowers. The artist places the flowers on a nearby sculpture. He removes the noose from his neck, ties a knot in the rope, and places it on the white pedestal. ​​He then turns his back to the audience and paints a red stripe on his back with a brush. Moving to the other side of the pedestal, facing the audience, he paints a white letter P on his chest. He performs these actions alternately. After a while, his back is covered in red stripes, and the rope has been knotted into a ball. The white inscription PARADOX appears on the front of his body. Finally, he paints his penis in red and white. He climbs onto the pedestal and presents the audience with the coil of knotted rope. He states that this paradox of freedom and idolatry threatens not artists today but politicians, and that it is to them that he dedicates this warning knot. He places it on the pedestal and leaves the room.

Photo by T. Gawałkiewicz