Collection

The paintings presented at the exhibition raise the issue of the linguistic clichés present in public debate in Poland in the 21st century and the ideologies that lurk behind them. Sawicka employs emotionally charged words such as cried, screamed, died. The verbs are used in the past tense, yet it is not clear if they refer to the historic past or current events. She points at the adoption of expressions derived from patriotic narratives about the past to the contemporary public debate, and questions analogies that are drawn. Sawicka’s art employs linguistic scraps, slogans from political banners, tabloid headlines and TV news bulletins. Sawicka is a painter of her time, vigilantly documenting the political debate polarising the contemporary Poland. She exposes the ideological inconsistencies and incoherent identities of the debate’s participants.