In Poland, artists fight for their rights as workers
For many people, the answer is not so obvious. This year marks 12 years since the artists’ strike in Poland, during which they demanded access to social security for artists. @KrytykaPolitycznaTV spoke to artists in Warsaw about their fight for basic rights. @KrytykaPolitycznaTV is a Sphera Network member and this story is part of our […]
What is “doughnut economy” and what does it have to do with climate change?
The doughnut economy is a visual framework for sustainable development – shaped like a doughnut or lifebelt, combining the concept of planetary boundaries with the complementary concept of social boundaries. This is a model proposed by University of Oxford economist Kate Raworth. But how does it work and will it save the planet? @KrytykaPolitycznaTV […]
In Bologna, Italy, students are demanding better studying conditions
Almost 70% of university students in Italy live with their parents, compared with the EU average of 17%, according to a Eurostat report. From high rent to unpaid internships, Italian students are protesting and demanding better rights, similar to their counterparts in Poland. On assignment for @KrytykaPolitycznaTV two students from Poland went to Bologna to […]
This LGBT choir in Poland is more than a place to sing together
Voces Gaudii was established in 2014 and currently has approximately 60 singers in it. It is the first LGBTQ+ choir in Poland. Its purpose is, among others, an attempt to engage non-heteronormative people in cultural and social activities. But it’s more than just a choir, for many of its members, it’s an acquired family. @KrytykaPolitycznaTV […]
Patches of land: killing nature in the name of “development”
Across Europe, authorities are destroying ecosystems, forests and bodies of water, in the name of urban development and industrial projects. Polish journalist and photographer Daniel Petryczkiewicz goes to three places in Poland to witness this destruction first-hand. First destination — Sieradz, where part of the forest was cleared to build a road. Then — Ciechanów, […]
Will Poland say “My body, my choice”?
While France has become the first country globally to enshrine the right to abortion in its Constitution, Poland still has one of the most restrictive laws in Europe. However, numerous women terminate pregnancies at home with the assistance of pills that are mailed from abroad. The traditionally Catholic nation’s parliament recently held a long-awaited debate […]
It all started with a song: myths about nudism in Poland
Naturism/nudism was a controversial movement of social nudity in public spaces in the 70s and 80s in Poland. The nudism movement was a space of freedom during communism time. In 1985, a song came out, its lyrics talking about a nudist beach in Chałupy (a village in north Poland, close to the Baltic Sea). It’s […]
What is postporn?
PostPorn is a new way to think about pornography from the feminist, queer perspective. How has this new perspective changed the meaning of sex and porn? @KrytykaPolitycznaTV went to Warsaw’s Post Porn Festival to find out. @KrytykaPolitycznaTV is a Sphera Network member and this story is part of our “Sex” series.
The Polish artist who uses embroidery as a form of protest
After the recent elections, Poland is experiencing a stalemate in terms of the recognition of rights. Monika Drozynska is part of a generation of artists trying to use entertainment as a means of making art in a political way. Drozynska embroiders train headrests with political slogans in various languages, including Braille. For her, fun is […]
In Spain, some reckon with the country’s complicated history
The dictatorship of Francisco Franco in Spain ended with an agreement signed by leading democratical fractions called The Pact of Forgetting. The document stated that atrocities committed by Franco’s regime would not be prosecuted or even officially discussed. State institutions were to resign from any forms of commemorating Franco but his material legacy in the […]