Duckrabbits unveiled. A sneak peek into the postartistic theory and practice
In a repressive political climate, ambiguity offers a possible way out. When something can be understood in multiple ways, it cannot be censored. In Poland, this strategy proved effective for the artistic community, allowing it to resist the suffocating authoritarianism of the PiS regime for an extended period. This gave rise to a new form of expression that no longer wished to be labeled as art: postart.
The comic, for which we are currently presenting a teaser, features duckrabbits—cryptic creatures native to the expanding field of art. They dwell at the intersection between the ways of art and other walks of life. In fact, the mercurial nature of these illusory animals inspired the Consortium for Postartistic Practices—a loose network of postartists, militant conceptualists, imaginative activists, and stray academics that emerged in the wake of an authoritarian turn in Polish politics—to place duckrabbits on their coat of arms. Just as duckrabbits can be seen as ducks, rabbits, or both at once, the activities of the Consortium can be perceived as art, not art, both, or neither, depending on perspective.
The very notion of postart emerged over the last decade in Poland (which is to say, nowhere) to encompass a multitude of hybrid activities situated at the intersection of contemporary art, anti-authoritarian protests, collective self-organization, action research, feminist groundwork, and ecologically attuned activism. Postartists create work on a one-to-one scale, applying art-related sensitivities and competencies beyond the narrowly defined sphere of “art.” Their conceptual propositions manifest in everyday life—they bring paintings to demonstrations, organize manifestations of river-sisters, and draw inspiration from the theories of Jerzy Ludwiński, who as early as 1971 wrote: “Perhaps, even today, we do not deal with art. We might have overlooked the moment when it transformed itself into something else, something which we cannot yet name. It is certain, however, that what we deal with offers greater possibilities.”
Rather than merely suggesting that these greater possibilities will help us address the current surge of authoritarian sentiments engulfing both art and life, let me instead shed light on the origins of this unlikely alliance—between duckrabbits and the social milieu of postartistic practitioners and thinkers.
The comic presented here originated as an illustration for a lecture I gave in June 2024 at Konteksty: The Postartistic Congress, organized at the Floating University in Berlin. The Congress—curated by duckrabbits-in-arms Sebastian Cichocki, Marianka Dobkowska, Kuba Depczyński, and Bogna Stefańska—grew out of years of postartistic activism mentioned above. The latest edition of the Congress took place during a fleeting moment of democratic revival, just a few months after the surprising electoral victory of a coalition of prodemocratic parties in Poland in October 2023. When the adrenaline surge subsided, we not only managed to catch our breath but also realized just how exhausted we had become after years of organizing one protest after another, participating in dozens of antifascist campaigns and feminist demonstrations, writing open letters, and banging our heads against the wall.
The previous two editions of the Postartistic Congress (2021 and 2022) were, in fact, conceived as gatherings meant to offer much-needed moments of collective respite. They were held in the pristine valley of Sokołowsko—a picturesque spa town nestled in the mountain ranges of southwestern Poland—and hosted by the InSitu Foundation, a custodian and active facilitator of Polish contemporary art. Continuing this tradition, the Congress in Berlin served as an opportunity for playful reflection on the past and the unpredictable future unfolding before our bewildered eyes.
Seizing this opportunity, the duckrabbits revealed themselves, narrating the story of our long journey along the winding roads of postartistic theory and practice. These creatures found their place on the emblem of the Consortium for Postartistic Practices when it was founded in 2016 in Warsaw, at the height of antiauthoritarian activism. As always, this unexpected match resulted from the unpredictable interplay of coincidence and serendipity.
In the autumn of 2016, together with Sebastian Cichocki, we conceived the idea of establishing the Consortium for Postartistic Practices in response to Poland’s first authoritarian electoral victory and the abrupt dismantling of its democratic state—an occurrence not entirely dissimilar to what is unfolding in the USA today (if differing in scale and intensity). This idea emerged just a few months after the conclusion of Making Use: Life in Postartistic Time, a rapidly expanding exhibition of art beyond art that we curated at the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw. While searching for an image that could encapsulate our intentions—to apply artistic competencies beyond the confines of art itself—we stumbled upon duckrabbits lurking in the pages of a book on illusions, tricks, and other forms of white magic. And just like that, our shared adventure began.
Years later, we are pleased to unveil the story of the duckrabbits, told through just over two dozen comic strips and conceived as an exploration of the relatively uncharted territory of postartistic theory and practice. The succinct textual layer, verging on humorous sloganeering, merely hints at the theoretical reflections that could be expanded upon endlessly—conversations that might take place while trekking through mountain ranges, debating theory in a classroom, or delivering a performative lecture on the floating platform of a self-organized university. In fact, the comic emerged from a series of seminars on Art Beyond Art that I led at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, where I met Kacper Greń. He brought his postartistic expertise to the project, transforming theoretical scripts into playful visual anecdotes featuring the adventures of the duckrabbits.
First published in Metropolis M No 2
Here, on the pages of Metropolis M, we present only a selection of the original images. The complete comic is published by the Institute of Network Cultures. ORDER HERE
The publication will be launched at OT301 on the 20th of June, during the Expanded Publishing Fest #4. It’s a free event, with talks, performances, live coding, a micro art book fair, a handpicked selection of the freshest memes, and a revenge procrastination club night: INFO HERE
Kuba Szreder (text) and Kacper Greń (visuals)
