Filmoteka Muzeum

The performance is Warpechowski’s response to the actions presented during a private meeting at the artist’s studio in Sandomierz by three young artists: Małgorzata Żarczyńska, Wojciech Jaruszewski and Oskar Dawicki. They had met the father of Polish performance for the first time at his presentation in Toruń, which left them enchanted by the honesty and the uncompromising appeal of his action.

Later, they were invited to his house for a few days of performances and talks about art. The meeting proved highly inspirational, especially for Oskar Dawicki and the artistic strategies that he was developing in the years to follow. During the performance, Warpechowski first observed the three people carefully through the magnifying glass, then he blew at them and gave them bells, with which the entire company “chatted” and rang merrily at the end.

According to Warpechowski, the blow – breath – had the symbolic dimension of a rite of passage. It was the breath of an experienced artist, who having ascertained through careful examination (magnifying glass) the vast potential and purity of the souls of the young artists, gave them a “breath of artistic good”, with which they could rise high to fly their own way through the world. The bells, in turn, are the material element of the gift, coming straight from the artist’s soul. Thus Warpechowski gave each of his three disciples a priceless mini work of art.

References: Z. Warpechowski, Zasobnik. Autorski opis trzydziestu lat drogi życia poprzez sztukę performance, Gdańsk 1998.
 

(ŁM)

Year: 1994
Duration: 4'05''
Language: Polish
Place: Sandomierz
Source: VHS

© Zbigniew Warpechowski

Acquisition date: Oct 27, 2011
Acquisition: deposit
Ownership form: deposit