Andrzej and Pysio

The photograph Andrzej and Pysio belongs to Marta Deskur’s large cycle of works, entitled Family. The title is deceptive, because not all the persons portrayed are members of the artist’s family in the traditional meaning of the term: apart from those with whom she is connected by blood ties or “formal” family ties, she has portrayed her closest friends. The series opens with a collective photo of all the people taking part in the project, and a graphic presentation of relationships between them. Just as the photograph does not resemble a traditional family snapshot, the graph of relationships has little to do with a genealogical tree. It reveals that the relationships between the sitters are decidedly horizontal, and that the family does not form a traditional hierarchical structure with the family’s seniors, the grandparents, at the top and the grandchildren on the lowest branches of the family tree. Although Andrzej and Pysio are related, Andrzej being the artist’s brother and Pysio the son of their sister, it is not kinship that is of crucial importance here.

Deskur’s project is rooted in her observation of her family, which led to her realisation that interdependencies arising from genealogy are neither obvious nor natural, and that members of the family who are not related in a direct line often share surprising similarities. As a result of her search for a true genealogy, one based on spiritual kinship, the traditional structure was exploded from the inside. The fact that the protagonists are shown against a smooth background, practically abstracted from the surrounding reality, makes it possible to focus on emotions, the inner life and true closeness, and thus to build a new web of interdependencies.

The work has a more universal dimension as well. The photograph Andrzej and Pysio is also known under the title Thou Shalt Not Kill, which directly refers to the fifth of the Ten Commandments. Religious motifs are a frequent point of reference in Deskur’s oeuvre. The Family cycle contains photographs entitled Last Supper, Washing of Feet or The Magi, in which the poses of protagonists imbue everyday activities with the character of biblical scenes. This is linked with the broader issue of values, frequently found in Deskur’s art, and may also be associated with public debate regarding the family and the Church’s participation in this debate. These images, known as Routine Scenes, show closeness and mutual understanding, but also the more dramatic aspects of family like, such as violence, restriction or dysfunctional limitation of the individual.

The Family cycle may be perceived as an inquiry into the condition of a contemporary family. The disappearance of its traditional, multi-generational model, which for centuries provided an organisational basis to social life, has long been a subject of debate. As this model was being abandoned, rules that until then regulated the functioning of the family disappeared as well; the system of child-rearing changed, and home, which the younger generations were leaving increasingly early, was fragmented and lost its former status of a family nest. On the other hand, an inquiry into the character of, and the basis for, the ties known as “family” ones is equally valid. Do blood ties guarantee a relationship based on trust and closeness? Are they a necessary condition for the relatives to be able to count on mutual support? Do they eliminate anger and violence from interpersonal relationships? Deskur suggests that mutual understanding and an authentic, deep connection is not exclusive to persons comprising a traditional family.

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translated from Polish by Klaudyna Michałowicz