Clothing as a guide for life? Yes – especially when it has such power as the work NO MORE FEARS by artist and activist Paweł Żukowski. "Everyone should have equal access to a life without fear," says Paweł, and we agree, which is why, for Pride Month, we transferred his work onto clothes to add daily power and courage.
"The text NO MORE FEARS was one of my first works created during the Tom of Finland Foundation residency in Los Angeles," says Paweł. "It comes from a series inspired by the aesthetics of public spaces – stickers, graffiti, street signs. This particular slogan was – and is – very important to me. Everyone has inner tensions, blockages, fears, and I want to look to the future without fear. The work has been shown at several exhibitions in Poland, Croatia, and the United States. There is no such thing as a single 'original'. It functions more as an idea than as a physical object, because I want everyone to have equal access to a life without fear," adds the artist.
PLN 10 from the sale of each item of clothing from this collection will support QueerMuzeum Warsaw - the first queer museum in Poland, and one of only a few in the world. Established on the initiative of Lambda Warsaw, the oldest LGBTQ+ organization in our country. Its collections also constitute the largest Polish archive of the non-heteronormative community - over 100,000 press clippings, magazines, leaflets, posters, documents, photographs, and personal stories.
The NO MORE FEARS collection includes a shirt dress, T-shirts, and a sweatshirt. We combined Paweł's powerful slogan with pink – a color usually associated with lightness, tenderness, and delicacy. This combination is no accident. Courage and sensitivity go quite well together.
Paweł's work originates from and represents the queer tradition, yet its message is absolutely universal. That's why we invited a diverse group of inspiring individuals who shared with us what the slogan "NO MORE FEARS" means to them and what it unlocks. Our protagonists are: Poland's oldest drag queen – Lulla La Polaca; multimedia artist, academic, and feminist Agata Zbylut; Olympic medalist in rowing, author of the book "My Race with Depression" – Agnieszka Kobus-Zawojska; paramedicine student and volunteer firefighter in Łomianki, Pola Domańska; founder of Queer Dating Agency Kasia Górna with her partner Magda, the originator of the project; Risk made in Warsaw designer Antonina Samecka with her partner Konrad Łaski, an entrepreneur creating housing estates and residential projects, founder of Noma Capital; Grzegorz Wełnicki - photographer and visual artist, member of the Institute of Good Death and the Archive of Public Protests; freediving vice-world champion, 9-time Polish record holder - Emilia Biała, and the author of the work, artist, and activist Paweł Żukowski. Follow their stories on our social media channels.
The campaign photos were taken by Marek Zimakiewicz. Interviews by: Paulina Gorzkowska, Polina Krakovnaya, Marlena Penc, Marek Zimakiewicz.
Thanks to Lisowski Gallery, Przystań Warszawa and Deepspot in Mszczonów for providing locations for the photo shoots.
