Untitled (Hommage à Gawron), 1985. (1-2/2)
Zbigniew Libera poses to the photos assuming a pose similar to a dead cat, next to which he lied on the pavement. In this work again the artist's body is an important part of the concept and mean of expression at once. Human body juxtaposed with a dead animal lying next to it gains another meaning – the context weakens again the mythologised, humble approach to death and shakes up the stable relation between man and animal. One could consider this work as a first attempt in posthumanism area – anthropocentrism is shaken, human and non-human animal exist here in the same right.
“Untitled (Hommage à Gawron)“ refers also to the deeply rooted artist's nature self-destructive instincts. Interest in death, strong gravitations towards it resulted in works where the artist wants to feel in his own body, how does it feel to be “dead”. The need of physical perception of destruction and death appears also in Libera's other actions: Home performance, Film on suicide, Short movies (destroying drawings).
