Jan Świdziński

Anomie

First published: Anomie – exhibition catalogue, Stara Gallery, Lublin, May 1998

A certain explanation.
Where does this title, anomie, come from? It is not a particularly popular word. It was introduced to sociology by Durkheim to define a state of society when generally accepted norms, values and notions – the whole picture obvious to everybody – cease functioning.

Twenty years ago when I proposed the contextual theses for modern art, I noticed – because it was self-evident – that we began to lack the common norms which enabled us to evaluate art objectively. And what is more we began to lack the criteria which enabled us to differentiate clearly between what belonged to art and what belonged to another, non-artistic area.

It is a result of changes caused by social processes that take place; by this emerging anomie.

I am not referring here to ‘moral decline’, which makes the traditional moralists, searching for the reasons for the present anomie in it, wring their hands. We simply ceased to live in isolation, we watch several dozens of TV channels, we travel, meet people from different cultures. We are slightly like tourists, who stop their cars in front of a road pub to rest for a while, have a hamburger and a beer, talk to people, who are tourists like us and who rest like us. Half an hour break and we continue our trip.

In the old paintings we come across scenes, which show people leaning towards each other. This symbolic gesture expresses mutual understanding: Santa Conversatione. The photographs which l am presenting here, demonstrate people leaning towards each other; but it is not Santa Conversatione. It is a simulacrum, a superficial likeness, this anomie I am talking about.

Once Santa Conversatione existed, and now? Now it is as it is. It is all right.

translated by Małgorzata Sady