Utrata. Żyd w polskiej sztuce współczesnej

A LOSS. THE JEW IN MODERN POLISH ART The essay entitled „A Loss. The Jew in Modern Polish Art” was meant to serve as a comment upon Rafał Betlejewski’s quasi-artistic media action „Tęsknię za Tobą, Żydzie”. The analysis of this social phenomenon aimed at proving, that Poles (as a nation and as a Culture) will never be able to forget the Jew living in their minds and hearts, in their memories and everyday lives. The Jew – just like any other alien – is an indispensable component of our identity. Nevertheless, time has verified the enthusiasm for Betlejewski’s project – for becoming immersed in the media glory, he seems to have forgotten about the subtle boundary-line that separates profound symbolism and meaningless shallow and illegitimate repetition. Together with the burning of the barn in Zawada, the hopes for building a new language of public debate on multiculturalism had also gone up in smoke. However, the author hopes that this does not deprive the essay of its importance and topicality.