Re-enacting Charlie Chaplin's speech from "The Great Dictator" (Los Angeles, 1940) from the perspective of a female artist, Marcin addresses the fine line between verity and fact, as well as the brutality and truth that can be hidden in simulation and recontextualization. In the original, Chaplin speaks of the ominous rise of neo-nationalism around the globe as well as the possibility of influence in the midst of a politicized world. Marcin translates this as the responsibility of artists today by transferring what physically represents authority and leadership - masculine gestures - to her body. By imposing the mannerisms of the male dictator on her female body, she bends her gender and identity in the Hitler costume in a way that is perceived as uncomfortable, despite all the prevailing gender tolerance. The meaning of autocracy and autonomy is ironically and literally doubled and the latent danger that lies in the means of our perception and the media is visualized.

Artist Statement:

"Emphasizing the people’s free will in a democracy the Jewish Barber-Hynkel-Chaplin states, "You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure. Then - in the name of democracy - let us use that power - let us all unite. (…) Let us fight for a new world - a decent world that will give men a chance to work - that will give youth a future and old age a security. By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to power. But they lie!"

As history repeats itself, regrettably Chaplin’s words are as relevant today as they were in 1940. The COVID-19 crisis has shown us our limits to democracy. But, also, with time to reflect, artists have been starting to ask themselves these pressing questions: "Are we, the artists, hijacked by intellectualist shelters and elite surroundings? Or are we exposed, fragile, and at-risk or, more confusingly, both? Do we still seek to communicate to the people or are we caught up inside of pleasing a subculture and its hierarchal structures? Whose soldiers, are we?"

Re-enacting Charlie Chaplin's speech from "The Great Dictator" (Los Angeles, 1940) from the perspective of a female artist, Marcin addresses the fine line between verity and fact, as well as the brutality and truth that can be hidden in simulation and recontextualization. In the original, Chaplin speaks of the ominous rise of neo-nationalism around the globe as well as the possibility of influence in the midst of a politicized world. Marcin translates this as the responsibility of artists today by transferring what physically represents authority and leadership - masculine gestures - to her body. By imposing the mannerisms of the male dictator on her female body, she bends her gender and identity in the Hitler costume in a way that is perceived as uncomfortable, despite all the prevailing gender tolerance. The meaning of autocracy and autonomy is ironically and literally doubled and the latent danger that lies in the means of our perception and the media is visualized.

Artist Statement:

"Emphasizing the people’s free will in a democracy the Jewish Barber-Hynkel-Chaplin states, "You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure. Then - in the name of democracy - let us use that power - let us all unite. (…) Let us fight for a new world - a decent world that will give men a chance to work - that will give youth a future and old age a security. By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to power. But they lie!"

As history repeats itself, regrettably Chaplin’s words are as relevant today as they were in 1940. The COVID-19 crisis has shown us our limits to democracy. But, also, with time to reflect, artists have been starting to ask themselves these pressing questions: "Are we, the artists, hijacked by intellectualist shelters and elite surroundings? Or are we exposed, fragile, and at-risk or, more confusingly, both? Do we still seek to communicate to the people or are we caught up inside of pleasing a subculture and its hierarchal structures? Whose soldiers, are we?"