Poliscar Variant 2, 1991 - 2017

Basel 2017
Poliscar Variant 2

Galerie Lelong

steel, aluminum, moped wheels, fabric, motor, video components
281.0 x 180.0 x 110.0 (cm)
110.6 x 70.9 x 43.3 (inch)
Poliscar Variant 2 is a contemporary rendition of Krzysztof Wodiczko’s 1991 seminal work, Poliscar. Known for his interactive instruments and vehicles that empower the marginalized, Wodiczko has made the relationships between injustice, history, and public space his constant theme. Wodiczko says: ‘The name Poliscar comes from the Greek word for city-state, polis, which refers more to a state of society characterized by a sense of community and participation of the citizen (polites) than to any institution or a place. To be a citizen is by definition to be a legitimate and protected member of the community and, as such, entitled to the rights and privileges of a “freeman”. Poliscar is meant both to underscore the exclusion of the homeless from the community and to provide them with some means of participating in it. The homeless are the true public of the city in that they literally live on the street, spending their days and nights moving, working and resting in parks and squares. The contradiction of their existence, however, is that while they are physically confined to public spaces they are politically excluded from public space constitutionally guaranteed as a space for communication.’