Zbigniew Warpechowski
Zbigniew Warpechowski is a performer, painter, poet, and author. He studied architecture at Kraków Technical University between 1956 and 1962, thereafter attending the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków between 1964 and 1965. His first actions took place in 1967. Warpechowski claims that his performances are deeply rooted in lyrical practice and calls them “poetic realities.” In 1971, he realized an action entitled “Dialogue with a Fish” at the Poetry Office of Andrzej Partum. He gave the participants glasses with water and placed a live fish on a card with the word “water” written on it. One of his
earliest artworks was based on a juxtaposition of the artist dressed in athletic garb with the cross on which he was hanging. It was entitled “Champion of Golgotha” (1978) and dealt with the rise of consumerist culture in socialist Poland. In his actions, which usually featured masochistic elements, he also employed live animals (fish, birds). One of the tropes that occurs is the notion of “nothing,” which was inspired by Meister Eckhart and Eastern philosophies. It signifies the ephemeral character of action and divinity simultaneously. He also explored Eastern spirituality and prepared a series of works utilizing the symbolism of the notion of Asia—this being not a specific continent, but rather an imperial worldview that suppresses human individuality. Warpechowski occupies the position of a conservative avant-gardist—an artist seeking new forms in which to express a conservative worldview. He is highly critical of the modern world, of its obsession with progress, media dominance, and consumerist culture. He is also a prolific essayist. He has published six books containing his notes on culture, art, politics, and personal experiences. In 1985, he also cofounded the Black Market International performance collective. He is regarded as an important influence on a younger generation of artists that includes Oskar Dawicki, Cezary Bodzianowski, and Piotr Uklański. D.M.
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