Roman Stańczak's Art Reflects Poland's 1990s Neoliberal Shock Therapy

Roman Stańczak's work from 1990 to 1996 embodies the degradation experienced in Polish regions during the country's transition to capitalism. His performances and sculptures feature ruined bodies and objects, mirroring the material and psychological toll of neoliberal reforms. These policies, implemented in the early 1990s, led to sharp rises in income inequality, unemployment, and poverty. The social consequences were severe, with some communities facing sustained hardship into the 2000s. Stańczak's art addresses a reality largely ignored by Polish neoliberal parties and media at the time. The analysis appears in ARTMargins Volume 11, Issue 3, pages 48-66, published on October 1, 2022. Dorota Jagoda Michalska authored the article, which is available through MIT Press with subscription access. The piece examines how Stańczak's practice symptomatizes the layered processes of degradation amid Poland's entry into the global market.