The Soup

The protagonists of Karolina Breguła’a video The Soup are characterised by uncertainty and an inability to take a firm stance on reality. The acting, the use of the camera, and the nature of the narration are reminiscent of TV Theatre productions, and the result lands in the category of the theatre of the absurd. The artist places her work in a historical context: The Soup is a direct reference to the 1989 event Exit staged at the Galeria Wschodnia art gallery in Łódź. Making holes in the walls with electric drills provided by the artists, the visitors could see a performance, namely, artists associated with the gallery feasting together in the flat of a friendly neighbour. In Breguła’s video, the drills can be seen penetrating the wall.

The Soup shows a group of artists seated at a table set for dinner. They have gathered to discuss the form of their participation in a revolution, presented as the sounds of a persistent refurbishment. However, the feast is more of a funeral wake than an organisational meeting: the participants show no desire to be particularly involved in the events “on the other side of the door”. All the initiatives are negated. An idea of doing a whip-round and purchasing extra tins of paint is rejected. The offer to use tablecloths for banners is seen as madness. One artist recommends considering ideological issues as secondary; the aesthetics of the actions should take the lead. Many take conformist positions, suggesting the need to nurture creative freedom in accordance with the law. A statement made in response to this stance is: “Then it’s probably better to do nothing at all”. Particularly resonant is the declaration “I don’t believe in renovation any more”. It represents a recapitulation of the mood and a postulate to mind one’s own business.

Recalling the dilemmas of artists during the political transformation, Breguła reflects on the political and social involvement of the art world. The problem she raises, however, has a wider scope. It is translated, not without a certain dose of irony, into the present day in the course of an exchange about free-range and cage-bred chickens. On both timelines, the inflammatory moments of the meeting are mitigated by, among others, a discussion about neighbours or a suggestion to observe the FB profile of one of the participants. Breguła’s enquiry concerns the meaning, possibility and efficacy of activism endeavoured within the framework of artistic activity. Is art a proper tool? Are artists able to go beyond the limitations of their own field?

Izabela Kopania
translated from Polish by Klaudyna Michałowicz