9 V 1993

Ujazdowski Castle Center for Contemporary Art, Warszawa

(ACTION PERFORMED FOR THE OPENING OF THE INDIVIDUAL EXHIBITION “JERZY BEREŚ. material DOCUMENTS OF THE MANIFESTATIONS FROM 1967-1992. ON THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF PARIS MAY AND POLISH MARCH”, 10/05-20/06, CENTER OF CONTEMPORARY ART, WARSAW)

Description of the manifestation:

The interior of the large hall in Gallery 1. Inside are the elements of the installation Prophecy II. A blue wagon stands in the center of the room, and just behind it rises a wooden pyre. Above it, silhouetted against the black ceiling, hangs a bow with a red-and-white string and an arrow. A jute sheet with the inscription PRZEPOWIEDNIA II (PROPHECY II) hangs from the arrow. Before the event, the artist climbed naked onto the pyre using a ladder and integrated himself into the composition, tying his hip guards, which had been open until then. At this time, the official opening of exhibitions is taking place in the Ujazdowski Castle hall. The ladder has been removed, and the artist waits on the pyre for the participants to arrive. At one point the doors open and an extremely large audience fills the hall. Some young people are displaying a transparent banner with the inscription MY Z WARSZAWY (WE FROM WARSAW), potentially a dig at the author, who came from Kraków.

Immobilized atop the pile, the artist addresses the assembled audience and states that this living monument was created 25 years earlier, on March 1, 1968, at the Krzysztofory Gallery in Kraków. He says that in the manifestation he intends to hold, he wants to clarify what is truly his work and what is not. The photos hanging on the wall, for example, documenting the actions from 1968-88, are not his; they were taken by a photographer. The author takes white paint and uses a brush to paint the word OPUS on his chest. He unties his hip guards and paints the word DEI on his stomach. He declares that, like the photos, his body is not his work either. With white paint, he draws a vertical line along his penis. He paints the other half red and states that his work is the Prophecy predicting the return of a free Poland – which, he notes, has come true. During this phase of the manifestation, the banner MY Z WARSZAWY (WE FROM WARSAW) is rolled up. The artist asks those present to evaluate his work. He warns that in times of widespread relativism, this is not easy. As an example, he refers to the discussion on Christian values, which Mr. Lityński called for in Gazeta Wyborcza daily newspaper. Standing naked at the stake, he continues his argument. In his view, the concept of Christian values contains a fundamental semantic error, because the adjective creates a vertical division, separating Christian values from other values. Hence, he feels that a rod has been raised above him – a rod that must be broken. The second part of the concept – values – however, suggests the need for a horizontal distinction, separating values from what is not value. The Gospel is a work of genius. The Ten Commandments are a work of genius. But not everything Christians do and say is valuable. Much of what they do, and especially what they say, is kitsch. For example, recently the Christian Speaker of the Sejm, Mr. Kern, said that he carries a weapon of crime – of rape – in his pants. In my opinion, it is a weapon of love, the artist concludes his speech. Thunderous applause erupts. The artist requests a ladder, descends from the stake, and leaves the room.