Cudowna świadomość porażki. O “Wstydzie” Jerzego Beresia

The point of departure of this analysis of Jerzy Beres’ Wstyd, realised in 1989 at the Centre of Polish Sculpture in Orońsko, is a comparison of the feeling of shame experienced by the artist in the course of the performance, and the indignity that is an important component of a masochistic spectacle. Such embarrassment is a confirmation of the unsteady position of the subject, his balancing between two simultaneous positions – that of the object and the subject. This situation in the artist’s activity is interpreted as a private ritual of experiencing freedom while being aware of its actual deprivation.