Photo by Marija Šabanović
Dzika (Polish for “Wild“) was a nurturing haven for an alternative art scene. It showcased young, experimental artists within the intimate confines of a shared flat in a residential block. This distinctive space offered a platform for radical creations often deemed provocative, particularly under Polish law, which prohibits insulting religious sentiments (Article 196). Within this refuge, artists found the freedom to express ideas that would otherwise be suppressed by societal norms and the legal constraints of traditional galleries.
The interplay between the communion host and jam accentuates the host’s physicality, simultaneously diminishing its original gravity as a form of defiance against the oppressive religious landscape in Poland. This juxtaposition is executed with a subtle infusion of humor, encouraging a lighthearted interaction with an object laden with meaning—one that the disciplined queer community was taught to hold in high regard.
In 2016, I was invited to craft a performance that served as a continuation and expansion of “Sweet Jesus,” inspired by the works of Iwona Teodorczuk-Możdżyńska. Draped in the attire of a papal figure (a costume amalgamating papal robes and drag aesthetics), I served communion hosts with jam to the guests. Unlike the earlier occurrence, these hosts weren’t presented as artifacts – art objects; instead, they took on the role of a delectable dessert for the guests. Amidst the reign of the Law and Justice party (PIS) and the escalating influence of the Church, this performance became a symbolic act of rebellion and subversion—bringing forth queer perspectives on the oppressive culture and its absurdities (for example the irony that while Drag Queens are often criticized for wearing dresses, the attire of the clergy, including the papal robes, is essentially a form of drag in itself).
