In one of his essays, the British writer Gilbert Keith Chesterton observed: There is no such thing as an uninteresting subject. There are only uninterested listeners. Chesterton suggested that any lack of interest in art from the audience is more likely due to the artist’s own shortcomings—his inability to present the essence of his work in an engaging and appealing way. A passionate admiration for art or its fervent criticism are usually good signs, indicating the audience’s genuine engagement. However, an uninterested listener—someone lukewarm, discouraged, or simply bored—is the worst possible situation for an artist.
The reception of the Polish sculptor Michał Jackowski’s art proves that such a danger does not threaten him. It is hardly surprising, given that his works are exhibited at prestigious venues and have been repeatedly awarded. Significantly, they are appreciated not only by art critics but also by a broad international audience—among whom, one can assume, uninterested listeners are rare. The strength of Jackowski’s work and the factor that captivates audiences is undoubtedly its universal nature. His sculptures address fundamental human themes: freedom, love, and the affirmation of life.
Moreover, he is an artist deeply aware of both the ideological foundations of his art and the means of their formal and artistic realization. He possesses a profound understanding of the nature of sculptural craftsmanship and, at the same time, knows how to creatively utilize this knowledge and skill.
In addition to the high ideological and artistic quality of his works, they are also characterized by formal diversity and ingenuity in their presentation. Sometimes, they take the form of small, intimate, and personal sculptures. At other times, they are monumental monuments or sacred interior designs. His sculptural projects also appear in public spaces. These works include castings, as well as sculptures made of stone or wood. The appeal of his exhibitions is further enhanced through multimedia elements and careful staging of the displayed objects.
Another factor contributing to the artist’s success, besides the aforementioned elements, is his personal attitude. The word that best describes it is fervor. This is evident in the way Jackowski, while working on new projects, constantly considers his potential audience. He seeks to share his enthusiasm, capture their attention, and inspire admiration. Ultimately, he aims to engage them with his art. In other words, he treats his viewers as active participants rather than passive spectators.
This kind of eager concern for the audience’s attention and interest—by no means a given among artists absorbed in their own work—stems from the Polish sculptor’s complex personality.
On one hand, he is an artist who consciously and consistently builds his artistic path; on the other, he is someone filled with the spontaneous joy of sharing his art with others. It is difficult to remain indifferent to such dedication and approach. This is why audiences appreciate Jackowski’s passion for art, which is inseparably intertwined with his passion for life. And it is no surprise that when it comes to his work, the stance of an uninterested listener is decisively rejected.
In the case of the Antique Games project, presented in Michał Jackowski’s dedicated pavilion at the international art exhibition NordArt 2023 in Büdelsdorf, Germany, all the previously mentioned strengths of his work were once again highlighted and reaffirmed. It is therefore worth exploring the question: what, this time, did the Polish sculptor choose to engage his audience with?
Archeologia współczesności
Jackowski zaprasza widzów swojego pawilonu do niezwykle interesujących i złożonych eksploracji. Kieruje bowiem uwagę zwiedzających w stronę kultury i sztuki już minionej, muzealnej, ale równocześnie te poszukiwania wiodą odbiorców nie tylko w przeszłość, lecz i w teraźniejszość; do tego co wiemy na temat kultury i kondycji dzisiejszego człowieka, czego możemy sami doświadczać jako „mieszkańcy” tej kultury. Dlatego artystyczną podróż zaproponowaną przez Jackowskiego można określić paradoksalnym mianem archeologii współczesności.
It should be clarified that the idea pursued by the artist does not represent a “conservative turn” toward ancient art. Jackowski is rather someone who, consciously and strongly inspired by Greco-Roman antiquity, suggests that within the resources of the past lie—not necessarily answers—but inspiring suggestions, and certainly important questions regarding who we are today. The point is that certain fundamental aspects of the human condition, as well as the ideas and concepts that organize them, remain unchanged.
They reveal their presence in new forms, within different socio-cultural contexts, yet the human condition remains what it is because it is subject to the “eternal” and dialectical dynamics of what is changeable and what is everlasting. In social sciences (understandably), the emphasis is primarily placed on new phenomena typical of the rapidly changing contemporary culture. From this perspective, strategies of life are analyzed, for instance, in the context of participants in a consumer society.
However, history offers a suggestion that perhaps the frantic behaviors of today’s consumers also have deeper causes rooted not only in the dominant cultural trends of today but in certain constant aspects of human nature. It is true that ancient Greece did not know consumerism, but it was familiar with the concept of hybris, which describes the human tendency to succumb to uncontrollable arrogance, pride, and audacity. From this perspective, extreme egotism, entitlement, and narcissism in today’s consumer are not just characteristics of our times, but rather a flaw shared by humans across all epochs—an inherent tendency to lack moderation.
This anthropological approach of Jackowski explains his chosen artistic strategy and also provides a good answer to the question:
Why tell the story of the present through forms and motifs drawn from ancient culture?
Would it not be better to use ideas and forms of expression that are more contemporary? Instead of the esteemed Carrara marble (which the artist uses), would it not be more fitting to employ materials that directly evoke trivial consumption? After all, it is not marble, but plastic, that has dominated our times!
The superficiality of such a judgment is perfectly exposed by the comment of the French writer and humorist Alphonse Allais. Upon hearing critical remarks from a tourist about the baroque bronze baldachin by Bernini in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, he reportedly stated:
Rubber would be an excellent material, were it not for the fact that its flexibility makes it unsuitable for many applications.
On the other hand, Jackowski the anthropologist could once again present his own argument: since there exists a certain immutable and deeply hidden part of human nature that connects us to what came before, it means that modernity did not begin “yesterday,” and its roots flow to us from the distant past—including from antiquity. The vitality of these impulses and their long duration is not invalidated even by the impact of dynamic civilizational changes. Their presence is sustained by that hard-to-quantify “human factor,” that is, the ingrained and slowly evolving mental structures, something that, over long processes, ultimately creates the solid anthropological core of the subject. Marble or a bronze casting, with their literal and metaphorical durability, are, from this perspective, more appropriate materials than any contemporary substance that might be associated with today’s “instant culture.”
The artistic strategy described, therefore, does not stem from a submissive adherence to past artistic traditions, but from the awareness that they preserve certain unchanging anthropological knowledge about human nature. Furthermore, it acknowledges that ancient artists created forms, ideas, and concepts that can be successfully utilized in today’s artistic, socio-cultural context.
On the other hand, the eclecticism of Jackowski’s sculptures, maintained in a postmodern spirit, does not arise from the (sometimes) easy tendency of some artists to engage in a casual game of creating new, hybrid compositions that are both conceptually and aesthetically mixed, aiming more to surprise or astonish the audience than to convey something significant. This aspect of Jackowski’s work has a more complex and profound dimension. The point is that the obvious and straightforward path to drawing from the resources of ancient culture and art (such as Greco-Roman) is no longer possible today. To the question of why this is the case, one of the most outstanding Jewish intellectuals of the 20th century, Hannah Arendt, provides an answer in one of her books.
In her work On Revolution, Hannah Arendt describes the crisis of contemporary culture, which lies in the severing of the thread of tradition and the disappearance of its former authority within European culture. Commenting on this, the Polish historian of ideas and philosopher Marcin Król highlighted the ambivalent (both negative and positive) aspect of this state of affairs:
The lack of authority of tradition, according to Arendt, had primarily negative consequences, as it deprived us of a common point of reference when making judgments of all kinds—from moral to aesthetic. However, it also had positive aspects, as it allowed us to treat the entire body of human thought as we treat a theater prop store: we can take anything from it and use it freely, without regard for any historical order. We are thus free to reach for everything that people have thought and written, which allows us to reject all traditional and binding categories…
The quoted statement aptly captures the essence of the strategy adopted by the Polish sculptor in his approach to art. His attitude toward ancient culture is equally ambivalent. It contains a sense of loss and the severing of the obvious connection with Greek and Roman antiquity, but at the same time, the resulting “lack of authority” allows him to unleash his full creative potential. This means the freedom to choose from these rich resources what he desires and to manipulate them as he pleases. There is no paralyzing sense of engaging with the Eternal Grandeur of Antiquity, but rather an awareness of how liberating this can be for the artist’s imagination when approached with the appropriate attention and respect.
The archaeology of the present, in this case, is the conscious and, as noted, ambivalent use of the past through the lens of the present. It could be said that it is a kind of mirror-like relationship, but one that is not a simple reflection of one reality in another. Rather, the condition for revitalizing elements of past and bygone culture is to present them in the light of today’s culture (both what is unchanging in it and what is subject to constant transformation). Given the severing of the thread of ancient culture in contemporary times and the erosion of the hierarchical tradition of interpreting it, the condition for its vibrant (and not merely museum-like) presence today is a subjective, creative, artistic re-interpretation. And this is precisely what Jackowski offers.
In accordance with the idea expressed by the British philosopher Roger Scruton, who aptly noted that culture is an extremely important glue for human relationships and deepened social bonds, culture allows individuals to find their place in the broader framework of a shared fate with others. However, this is only possible if culture secures its place in our emotions. And this can only happen through the process of its individual subjectivization—by reinterpreting foundational works of culture into the language of modernity.
Hermeneutic Game
Discussing the ideas and artistic strategies of Jackowski is undoubtedly important for a better understanding of the exhibition concept he proposed. However, this does not exhaust everything that can be said on the subject. The method that the artist applied (and the role he assigned to himself) in executing his project cannot be overlooked. Antique Games is, after all, both a game that he plays with ancient tradition (as previously discussed) and a game that he offers to the audience. It is therefore worth revealing what kind of game this is, in what spirit it is played, and what rules govern it.
It is clear that the game has a dual nature due to its exploration of both the ancient and contemporary worlds, as well as because of the method employed (reflective and ironic references to the archaeological and anthropological layers of ancient and postmodern culture). Who could be the patron of such a game within Antique Games? Only a figure who is inherently dual, one who simultaneously generates contradictions and knows how to bring them together. And, of course, one whose element is play, who is a renowned trickster. This figure is undoubtedly Hermes.
Co jest bowiem istotą propozycji artystycznej Jackowskiego? Zaproszenie odbiorców do podjęcia twórczej gry w interpretację znaczeń zawartych w dziełach. To zatem gra hermeneutyczna. Wybitny polski socjolog Zygmunt Bauman, w jednym z listów do innego polskiego myśliciela Cezarego Wodzińskiego, przenikliwie zauważył, że Hermesa można uznać za antenata hermeneutyki ze względu na jego funkcję pośrednika. Przekazywał, umożliwiał rozmowę, był rozmową? I w takiej roli występuje Jackowski wobec swoich odbiorców; jeśli nie posłańca bogów (wszak nie może być dwóch Hermesów!), to pośrednika między tym, co dawne/współczesne w jego pracach, a dzisiejszymi tego interpretatorami. Wszak Hermes objawia się w akcie interpretacji; jego darem jest wgląd.
To illustrate, Jackowski transforms the “material” of ancient culture and the “material” of contemporary culture into “message,” which in his case is his sculptural works, and then “sends” them to the viewers. Like the ancient Hermes, the guide who leads the souls of the dead, travelers, merchants, lovers, or thieves, the Polish artist-guide leads the visitors of his pavilion through the meanders of the hermeneutic game. He encourages them to explore the ambivalent nature of concepts and ideas, to recognize the polysemy of both ancient and modern iconography, aesthetic patterns, and canons, to avoid certainties, especially those that demand seeing the world in binary schemes: either classical or modern, either ancient or postmodern, either mythological or realistic. He warns against literalism, which kills the creative spirit of hermeneutic searches, and finally, he urges them to observe the protean nature of the contemporary subject. Above all, however, the artist encourages the audience to “play” with the hidden meanings in his sculptures in an individual and creative way. Not in the name of rational, instrumental reason that reduces the complexity of reality to concepts, but in the name of the joy derived from the power and expansiveness of one’s imagination. It is, after all, about the joy of play, fueled by the joy of unrestricted readings and interpretations.
Jackowski, in his role as both intermediary and guide, adheres to a central principle of the hermeneutic adventure: the structural unpredictability and ambivalent nature of the experience. The unpredictability of ancient games stems from the very nature of their patron, Hermes, who is the god of surprises, appearances, ambiguous hints, the blurring of traces, mystification, and even deception. This means that the proposed game is not easy, and its outcomes are far from obvious. It is full of false leads. The ambivalent aspect of ancient games also arises from the characteristics of its patron. According to Walter F. Otto, Hermes is the mysterious master of unpredictable solutions, sometimes allowing discovery and gain, and other times leading to loss and confusion. He is a figure of dual nature: the guardian of herds and the most dexterous cattle thief, the patron of lovers’ fulfillment and an indispensable companion in their separations, the guide of the dead who leads them to the realm of shadows, and one who can also lead them back to the world of the living. In other words, he is a god of surprise in both positive and negative senses.
The gift of Hermes is everything that happens to a person that brings them happiness and benefit, everything they achieve through any available means, without bearing any responsibility for it.
Hermes, as a deity of carefree and unscrupulous gain, also embodies the inseparable connection between gain and loss. In Jackowski’s hermeneutic game, this duality mirrors the nature of the Greek god. Sometimes the decoding of meanings is a playful irony that highlights the grotesque features and flaws of the postmodern subject—emphasizing the exaggerated, kitschy world of consumerist glamour. At other times, the hermeneutic journey leads the traveler into dark, hopeless territories, showing the subject painfully trapped in unattainable consumer desires, alone and isolated, like the poignant image Pablo Neruda evokes: “alone like a tunnel.”
Jackowski, like Hermes, dons various masks—sometimes joyously ironic, sometimes sharply critical. His smile, depending on his will and the situation, carries different meanings. As a mediator and guide, he can stimulate the hermeneutic creativity of players, but he can also deceive them. Like Hermes in his realm, the artist in his is “master of roads,” leading viewers on a journey of discovery and misdirection alike.
One thing is certain: in the “Antique Games” (…), Jackowski weaves a narrative in the spirit of hermeneutics—ambiguous and ever-changing, where appearances often deceive. It is art whose ironic, “bittersweet” duality is well captured by the statement that it is an ambiguous story of a butterfly used as a hornet.
Therefore, when engaging in the game of ancient games, one must be fully aware of the risks involved. This is the risk of a hermeneutic nature, connected with the emergence of creative interpretative surprises, under the patronage of Hermes.
And with his gracious permission, Michał Jackowski offers these surprises to the audience of his art.
Dr. habil. M. Jaworski
