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Paragraph 196 k.k., 2010, black and white video with audio 5min/loop
Photo by: Dariusz Sitek
Dorota Nieznalska's video was her commentary on the situation she had been in for years. Exhibiting the already famous work Passion at art gallery in Gdansk resulted in her being charged by a group of politicians for offending religious feelings. The case went to the court. As a result, for about eight years the artist was virtually unable to exhibit her works. As she put it, she was deemed criminal even before hearing the sentence. The trial lasted a long time and the artist, as the accused, was summoned to numerous hearings.
The woman in the video (Dorota Nieznalska) was trying to freeze in an uncomfortable position for as long as possible –one could see her muscles contract in a painful cramp– but in the end she had to give up. The relief was temporary because after a few seconds the looping film started anew... The video was accompanied by a sound – it played the artist's whisper reciting an unending litany of dates of her subsequent hearings.
