His selection presents, apart from ‘classic’ demonstrations or riots, the significance of seemingly neutral events (neutral, because – it would seem – permanently embedded in everyday life), such as the funeral of Zbigniew Religa or a Catholic mass. Their common denominator determines the meaning behind Democracies.
These are the political events I have access to. They also delineate a horizon of my limited political participation. These demonstrations are a kind of politics for ordinary people, and at the same time a ‘critical mass’ of democracy, an articulation of demands, beliefs, targeted at the media, and through them, the political elites and the rest of society. A lot of similarly shot footage gets uploaded online, because the media refuse to show it.
– the artist said in an interview.
Żmijewski avoids the use of computer in this work – the filmed material is supposed to speak for itself. After all, do all of us have the opportunity to see a mass, Haider's funeral, or an anarchist demonstration? Attention also should be given to the project's title. The artist does not mention a single democracy, but multiple ones. The difference is significant, as he does not address a universal vision of common happiness and justice, neither does he represent democracy as the best and most desired export product of the West. He explained in an interview:
I chose the title Democracies, because it is a lie. These aren't democracies at all. Is the Palestinian National Authority a democratic country? (…) Is Israel democratic? Maybe, but only if we add ‘colonially‘ to it. Northern Ireland is still under British occupation. Of course, it is a democracy, but in an occupied territory. Perhaps Poland is a democratic state? It is, obviously, but women still don't share the same rights as men here. And one of the fundamental rules of democracy is equality of rights.
So, the plural refers to perceiving democracy not just as a field of consensus, but also – or perhaps even predominantly – as a field of conflict, dispute, and clash of different beliefs. It is as if the artist echoed Chantal Mouffe's assertion about the ’ineradicability of the conflictual dimension in social life’ (On the Political). For those who are excluded from the discourse, but not only for them, demonstrations become one of the most important, and certainly the most visible, form of participating in the political life. Żmijewski does not, however ask how effective it is. Instead, he questions the very basis of the system. He identifies the political power outside of the parliamentary chambers and points to the fact that ’emotions are the essence of politics.’