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HEROISM OF LIFE ITSELF. THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MONUMENT


16.04. 2023, artivist action on the anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Area of the action: from the viewing terrace of the Muranów South Estate to the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes, Warsaw, Poland. Cooperation with Polin Museum

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Z. Hertzberg, Heroism of Life Itself. The Other Side of The Monument, 16.04.2023, photo documentation of the artivist action on the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Area of the action: viewing terrace of the Muranów South Estate – Monument to the Ghetto Heroes, Warsaw, Poland. Photo: M. Tym

zuza_perform_04_002

Z. Hertzberg, Heroism of Life Itself. The Other Side of The Monument, 16.04.2023, photo documentation of the artivist action on the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Area of the action: viewing terrace of the Muranów South Estate – Monument to the Ghetto Heroes, Warsaw, Poland. Photo: M. Tym

zuza_perform_04_003

Z. Hertzberg, Heroism of Life Itself. The Other Side of The Monument, 16.04.2023, photo documentation of the artivist action on the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Area of the action: viewing terrace of the Muranów South Estate – Monument to the Ghetto Heroes, Warsaw, Poland. Photo: D. Matłoch

zuza_perform_04_004

Z. Hertzberg, Heroism of Life Itself. The Other Side of The Monument, 16.04.2023, photo documentation of the artivist action on the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Area of the action: viewing terrace of the Muranów South Estate – Monument to the Ghetto Heroes, Warsaw, Poland. Photo: M. Tym

zuza_perform_04_005

Z. Hertzberg, Heroism of Life Itself. The Other Side of The Monument, 16.04.2023, photo documentation of the artivist action on the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Area of the action: viewing terrace of the Muranów South Estate – Monument to the Ghetto Heroes, Warsaw, Poland. Photo: M. Tym

zuza_perform_04_006

Z. Hertzberg, Heroism of Life Itself. The Other Side of The Monument, 16.04.2023, photo documentation of the artivist action on the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Area of the action: viewing terrace of the Muranów South Estate – Monument to the Ghetto Heroes, Warsaw, Poland. Photo: D. Matłoch

zuza_perform_04_007

Z. Hertzberg, Heroism of Life Itself. The Other Side of The Monument, 16.04.2023, photo documentation of the artivist action on the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Area of the action: viewing terrace of the Muranów South Estate – Monument to the Ghetto Heroes, Warsaw, Poland. Photo: M. Tym

zuza_perform_04_008

Z. Hertzberg, Heroism of Life Itself. The Other Side of The Monument, 16.04.2023, photo documentation of the artivist action on the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Area of the action: viewing terrace of the Muranów South Estate – Monument to the Ghetto Heroes, Warsaw, Poland. Photo: M. Tym

zuza_perform_04_009

Z. Hertzberg, Heroism of Life Itself. The Other Side of The Monument, 16.04.2023, photo documentation of the artivist action on the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Area of the action: viewing terrace of the Muranów South Estate – Monument to the Ghetto Heroes, Warsaw, Poland. Photo: M. Tym

zuza_perform_04_010

Z. Hertzberg, Heroism of Life Itself. The Other Side of The Monument, 16.04.2023, photo documentation of the artivist action on the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Area of the action: viewing terrace of the Muranów South Estate – Monument to the Ghetto Heroes, Warsaw, Poland. Photo: M. Tym

zuza_perform_04_012

Z. Hertzberg, Heroism of Life Itself. The Other Side of The Monument, 16.04.2023, photo documentation of the artivist action on the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Area of the action: viewing terrace of the Muranów South Estate – Monument to the Ghetto Heroes, Warsaw, Poland. Photo: D. Matłoch

zuza_perform_04_013

Z. Hertzberg, Heroism of Life Itself. The Other Side of The Monument, 16.04.2023, photo documentation of the artivist action on the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Area of the action: viewing terrace of the Muranów South Estate – Monument to the Ghetto Heroes, Warsaw, Poland. Photo: M. Tym

zuza_perform_04_014

Z. Hertzberg, Heroism of Life Itself. The Other Side of The Monument, 16.04.2023, photo documentation of the artivist action on the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Area of the action: viewing terrace of the Muranów South Estate – Monument to the Ghetto Heroes, Warsaw, Poland. Photo: M. Tym

zuza_perform_04_015

Z. Hertzberg, Heroism of Life Itself. The Other Side of The Monument, 16.04.2023, photo documentation of the artivist action on the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Area of the action: viewing terrace of the Muranów South Estate – Monument to the Ghetto Heroes, Warsaw, Poland. Photo: M. Tym

zuza_perform_04_016

Z. Hertzberg, Heroism of Life Itself. The Other Side of The Monument, 16.04.2023, photo documentation of the artivist action on the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Area of the action: viewing terrace of the Muranów South Estate – Monument to the Ghetto Heroes, Warsaw, Poland. Photo: D. Matłoch

zuza_perform_04_017

Z. Hertzberg, Heroism of Life Itself. The Other Side of The Monument, 16.04.2023, photo documentation of the artivist action on the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Area of the action: viewing terrace of the Muranów South Estate – Monument to the Ghetto Heroes, Warsaw, Poland. Photo: M. Tym

zuza_perform_04_018

Z. Hertzberg, Heroism of Life Itself. The Other Side of The Monument, 16.04.2023, photo documentation of the artivist action on the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Area of the action: viewing terrace of the Muranów South Estate – Monument to the Ghetto Heroes, Warsaw, Poland. Photo: M. Tym

zuza_perform_04_019

Z. Hertzberg, Heroism of Life Itself. The Other Side of The Monument, 16.04.2023, photo documentation of the artivist action on the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Area of the action: viewing terrace of the Muranów South Estate – Monument to the Ghetto Heroes, Warsaw, Poland. Photo: M. Tym

zuza_perform_04_020

Z. Hertzberg, Heroism of Life Itself. The Other Side of The Monument, 16.04.2023, photo documentation of the artivist action on the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Area of the action: viewing terrace of the Muranów South Estate – Monument to the Ghetto Heroes, Warsaw, Poland. Photo: M. Tym

zuza_perform_04_021

Z. Hertzberg, Heroism of Life Itself. The Other Side of The Monument, 16.04.2023, photo documentation of the artivist action on the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Area of the action: viewing terrace of the Muranów South Estate – Monument to the Ghetto Heroes, Warsaw, Poland. Photo: D. Matłoch

When the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes was being unveiled in 1948, white cloth covered the front, titled by its author Nathan Rapoport “The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising” [“Walka” / “Combat”] and presenting figures of fighters with arms in their hands. While the ceremony of unveiling focused on the obverse of the Monument, it marginalised the visibility of the reverse, with a bas-relief titled “The Last March.” Thus, a specific aspect of the narrative on the War- saw ghetto was highlighted — the aspect which fosters the belief that armed struggle is the only form of heroism.

The physical act of unveiling triggered a symbolic annual repetition of the gesture, which we have been dealing with until today. The placement of the two bas-reliefs and their message seem to suggest that we have a choice of two opposing paths — armed combat or inevitable death awaiting the participants of the last march to annihilation. In truth, both paths led towards the same finale. Both epitomise the story about the Jewish fate.

Zuzanna Hertzberg’s artivistic performance defies this division. It is a continuation of the artist’s activities towards fostering awareness of the fact that there are indeed many forms of resistance. Aside from heroic fight arms in hand, the act of living itself— especially in the extreme conditions of the ghetto — was one of them. Laughing, taking care of one’s hygiene and looks, enjoying little things in life were an act of resistance, too. A lipstick and a rifle don’t have to stand in stark opposition to each other, especially when an adequate, faithful and tender narrative on life during the Shoah is at stake.

All people of Jewish origin, all Jewish men and women in Poland, are descendants of those who resisted in that way. We all carry a fraction of their pain, we all feel helplessness when facing the past but also hope, a will to live with dignity and an effort to make sure it doesn’t ever happen again — never and nowhere!

The other side of the Monument which faces Zamenhofa Street is not only less exposed but also less known. It has never grown to be an iconic image accompanying the commemoration events. The 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising provides a welcome opportunity to turn our attention to the other side and to complete the gesture of unveiling several decades later. Accompanied by a line of Jewish banners, this performative artistic action imitating the formula of official ceremonies highlight the need to change the way we talk about history — the history written not only by armed combat, but also by the resistance of civilian population, by the heroism of living itself.