image / wizerunek

A woman who contemplates her own reflection in the mirror controls the social reception of her own image. Is it good enough? Does it match the ideals promoted by the mass media? The intimate space of the home may become a battlefield on which a struggle goes on between that which is individual, unique and profound and that which is collective, multiplied and flat... Which woman is going to win this struggle? Is she going to survive at all?

The performance image / wizerunek (2010) is a continuation of the idea that I had expressed in the performance Lady’s Dressing Table / Toaletka damska (2000). I had anticipated that its message would grow over time, and I was not mistaken. Modern culture makes increasing demands on women. Now, not only women, but also men fall victim to the global vanity fair. Body and corporeality are in the centre of attention. Unfortunately, this is due to an illusion involving the creation and maintenance of an image. Emphasis is constantly put on how others perceive us. Exerting impression on others is both an end and a means to an end. In pursuit of success, feelings do not count and emotions should be kept under control. We are becoming spiritually poorer, and so is culture, because humans are increasingly detached from their feelings and natural roots. What can be done to break this vicious circle of illusion?

I believe that every human can build their unique identity solely on the basis of love and respect for the body. We received it as a gift from our ancestors, including animals. The body cannot be appropriated by culture.