Grand Slam

2011
Video, Black and white, HDV 3.06 min
New York, USA

The black-and-white video Grand Slam features a female tennis player repeatedly hitting paint-dipped tennis balls against white walls, covering them in black dots. Through this performance, Marcin aims to create a new space for feminist discourse, inviting the audience to recognize the struggle portrayed in the piece and its wider implications.

With each strike, the ball, soaked in paint, hits the wall with increasing force, leaving thick black marks that drip down, forming a chaotic painting. Close-up shots capture the woman—her paint-splattered thighs, chin, hair, and face—revealing the physical strain as she relentlessly slams the ball with her racket. The piece is charged with aggression: the heavy sound of the ball hitting the wall, the forceful movements of the woman wielding the racket, and the black splatters staining the wall, each mark a testament to her repeated efforts.

As the performance progresses, the woman—played by Marcin—visibly tires, seemingly worn out by the relentless challenge of hitting the ball against the wall over and over. From a cultural perspective, the piece mirrors the ongoing conversations women are engaged in, both nationally and globally. Marcin doesn’t offer a direct answer, but her work hints that the struggle might be just as much an internal battle as an external one.