At the beginning, there was a pandemic and chaos ensued, and now – there is a real hell for Polish Women, i.e. a ban created by politicians. This is a situation that is hard to accept in the 21st century when women still have to fight for their rights. Women are definitely saying STOP! Our body – our choice and our future do not depend on the government’s decisions. We feel frustrated because the whole situation with the epidemic and our isolation in the homes of Poland is being perfidiously used by the government to push through the anti-abortion law. Women are terrified that they may lose their rights to make decisions about their own lives.
Fortunately, the response of women met with great support from artists who were not indifferent to this issue. You can find a lot of messages, illustrations, posters and paintings related to women’s issues because art never stands indifferently to everyday life. Art has always conveyed strong messages about moral and social issues. The artists’ sensitivity and moral responsibility to social and political situations translate into their work. It is primarily a spontaneous creative idea, not an advertising campaign or just a graphic design on a common cause. The most important thing is for the artists’ message to hit the nail on the head and speak in a language that is widely received and accepted by the average recipient. The role of the artist in the current situation is to convey, support and to inform, and thus encourage the public to take action, to make decisions and take the voice to the streets. Such an example is Jarek Kubicki’s ‘Fun Project’, where he shows us the roles of the main characters from famous film productions, in which words such as “fuck off” are boldly used. The aforementioned heroines are strong, independent and firmly grounded women, where they fight for their rights despite the most difficult situations.
The famous Polish philanthropist and reporter, Dominika Kulczyk – founder of Kulczyk Foundation, deals with various problems of the world. She doesn’t stay indifferent to other women’s problems.
“We are all vaginas,, – Illustration: Polly Lindsay and Agnieszka Stopyra
‘When I understood that very often woman is the source of any change, in fact any changes coming to our lives starts because of a woman. When I realised that, I decided to look closer, focus on women’s issues and support them.
Our role (as women) and our importance to the world are much greater than ever. We are also much more aware of our rights and our impact on the world that we are actually changing more than before. It is fascinating to be a woman in times like this. Now, I have a goal: I want to support women’s freedom in the sphere of consciousness, corporeality and being. Start with nature, biology, sexuality, and physical sphere. The most important thing is awareness of being part of everything here and now, also realizing itself in the sphere of spirit and intellect’.
Her famous projects are:
‘Bloody Problem’
‘Where are you from? From the vagina’
‘I want to point out that I am having a period too. Humanly. In a feminine way. The same way as any average woman. It affects more people than hunger, lack of access to water or recently popular coronavirus’
Interview published in “Wolna Sobota”, the weekend magazine of ” Gazeta Wyborcza,, – bit.ly/3k82Ctn.
Another artist, Puja Bhakoo uses her art to express her thoughts about the role of a woman in the world ‘Let’s talk Taboos….’ We’re a liberal society, or so we think. But even today in a household like ours, the entire family goes hush-hush when the daughter has her periods but starts pontificating when the son sprouts a beard.
