Hypocritically, Rutkiewicz and Sikorski rejected the ‘art or vandalism’ question, yet repeatedly commented on artistic quality or criticised destructive acts. The term ‘wild graphics’ was used in order to avoid the word ‘graffiti’, which is associated with damage, but they were unable to refrain from passing judgements. Sikorski explored the differences and similarities between the overlapping fields of public art, street art, art (mostly modernist and avant-garde) and graffiti. Although this distinction did bring in more concepts than ‘art or vandalism’, it failed to introduce a new intellectual framework. Consequently, instead of proposing new definitions, the artist and curator simply resorted to truisms: ‘one should avoid extremes and strive for equilibrium’.
Wild Graphics did not include advertising murals and other commercial messages in public space – even though most of them do count as ‘wild’, as an estimated 90% of such advertising is illegal. Street artworks created as part of official festivals and projects were also excluded. Sikorski explained that ‘we define wildness not as a formal feature of the works, but as a grassroots, lawless artistic act performed without official permission’.
An exception was made for pioneering street events by artists like Anastazy Wiśniewski, Marek Konieczny, Ewa Partum, Jerzy Treliński, Andrzej Partum and Akademia Ruchu. Although organised under the auspices of state institutions, they were far from what officials anticipated, and frequently perplexed audiences. Replacing the word ‘graffiti’ with ‘graphics’ let the organisers expand their scope to include events in which words, symbols, drawings and images were displayed on banners, clothes, flags, and various media other than urban architecture and infrastructure.
Rutkiewicz also delved into artists’ motivations, splitting them into militancy, politics, promoting ideas and attitudes, personal motives, and finally – making art. He remarked that, in practice, certain motivations intertwine and coexist. To regard fans of various football teams squabbling on the walls as separate from right- and left-wing political movements would be an oversimplification. Indeed, politics has long been a focus for fans, so juxtaposing neo-fascist movements and radical left-wingers would imply some form of symmetry between them (extremists on both sides, with a happy medium somewhere down the middle).
The Polish jigsaw