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 Town Hall in Poznan, Poland |
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| Under the auspices of Madam Renata Mataczynska, an Honorary Consul of the Czech Republic in Poland, and the Committee for Equality Days, my show opened at Meskal Gallery in Poznan on November 15th, 2006. For those who are not familiar with the current political situation in Poland, I would like to remind you of the year 2005, when a very conservative and rather unenlightened government got the power. In the predominant Catholic Poland, many progressive liberal voices calling for tolerance and respect for human rights of minorities were under a harsh attack from the official government-controlled media. It is worth noting that the two most powerful political posts – that of the President of the Republic and that of the Prime Minister - are currently held by one family, the Kaczynski twin-brothers! In the fall of 2005, the attacks turned violent in the streets of Poznan where then police brutally beat the demonstrators against the official regime’s intolerance. Since standing up to political arrogance of any kind, and protecting the freedom of expression in particular are two issues that I have always been most passionate about, I considered it a privilege and honor to be invited by the Equality Days Committee as a guest artist and speaker to participate in this year’s Equality Days. The motto of my show was a quote from Mahatma Gandhi: “If you don't find God in the next person you meet, it is a waste of time looking for him further.” With my photographs as well as with my speech, I tried to bring home the notion of self-respect, also the importance of a non-violent resistance to the oppression based on different beliefs, values, and sexual orientation. The strength and seriousness of any aspiring democracy can only be measured by the ways the government and the mainstream society treat their minorities. I also emphasized the importance of the individual responsibility. If we as human beings do not allow ourselves to be who we truly are and speak out freely, if we do not show respect for ourselves and our uniqueness as individuals, how can we expect others to respect us? The spontaneous response of the nice crowd at the opening of my show was truly moving and inspiring. Thank you, beautiful Poznan and your courageous citizens, for your hospitality and a warm welcome! Thank you for giving me another great opportunity to reinvigorate my own beliefs in freedom and human dignity! |