Lecture on inaction

Daniel Kotowski’s performance is a study in social inaction. Formally, it refers to Joseph Beuys’ performance Information Action shown in 1972 at the Tate Gallery in London. Originally, Joseph Beuys’ aim was to make the audience realize the presence of innate human creative capacity and power to shape reality, whereas Daniel Kotowski’s performative lecture analyses new sources of passive behaviours in social situations. The artist uses traditional aids known to the western educational system – a board and chalk – and their contemporary digital equivalents – a screen and a camera. He combines forms of populist and training techniques. In this way, he demonstrates the most widespread modern-day mechanisms of developing attitudes, imposing judgements and patterns of reacting to situations. In this way, the artist indirectly reflects on the reasons for social inaction: the complexity of reality, excess of competing views, problems with overcoming habits and going beyond privileged positions, and finally – a sense of helplessness and loss in the overstimulated information society. As a deaf person, incapable of producing flawless speech, the artist struggles with the form of a lecture, thus exposing the dominance and persuasive power of this mode of communication in public space, and consequently – inequalities resulting from this dominance.  

Daniel Kotowski is a visual artist who graduated from Warsaw’s Academy of Fine Arts (2018) and the Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology in Warsaw (2016). He often refers to the notions of biopower and biopolitics coined by Michel Foucault. His work involves performance, art installations, photography and design, he creates objects and videos. His areas of interest include social communication and social policy, interpersonal relationships and the way he is perceived by other people. His performances have been presented e.g. in Zachęta – National Gallery of Art, and the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw. (www.danielkotowski.pl)