Despite 30 years of artistic work with international recognition, we are completely ignored by institutions in our country. By refusing support, we were deprived of the chance to perform at the International Contemporary Dance Festival in Mexico City. However, we believe that the public, not the officials, should decide which artists perform at festivals. Please do what the institutions did not want to do and help us perform in Mexico.

Who are we?

SUKA OFF is a Poland based artist collective founded by Piotr Wegrzynski (visual artist, performer) in 1995, joined by Sylvia Lajbig (classical philologist, performer) in 2003.

Over the course of three decades, we have become the most versatile and internationally recognizable artistic group from our region. We have shown our performances at theatre, performance art and music festivals, in galleries, streets and clubs of most European countries, North and South America, China and Japan. We have also created video art, music videos, fashion films, photography, objects and costumes. Our works are in private collections and galleries in Europe, USA and Japan.

We have created our own unique style by combining elements of visual and physical theater with body art. We mix references to ancient Greek mythology with industrial aesthetics and analog audiovisual techniques. Through our choice of subject matter and means of expression, we often refer to the French Grand Guignol.

More info: www.sukaoff.com

Unlike most artists in our country, we do not rely on grants or subsidies. All our performances have been funded out of our own pockets, and the costs of international appearances (with rare exceptions) were covered by organizers.

Despite the lack of support and promotion from Polish institutions, we have performed in 22 countries, with our video works presented in several others. Numerous articles about us have appeared in the international press, and ARTE.tv produced a documentary about us.

Moreover, we have never touched upon politics, wanting our art to remain detached from current affairs. We have never publicly criticized or praised any government. However, we have repeatedly corrected harmful stereotypes and prejudices about Poland.

Yet, none of this convinces Polish institutions that promoting us promotes Poland.

This year we are celebrating our 30th anniversary, and not only has no one in our city (no festival, theater, gallery, or institution) offered to showcase our performance for this occasion, but we were also denied a grant to create a website archiving our work (photos, videos, sketches, posters, press articles, and academic papers). We haven’t performed in our hometown of Katowice for 10 years. It’s easier for us to perform in distant countries than at home.

For years, we gritted our teeth and kept doing our work. But this year, we’ve truly had enough. I won’t delve into who gets funding in our country and for what—it’s a vast and disheartening topic.

So what is the issue?

This year marks not only our 30th anniversary. Fifty years ago, Hans Bellmer, an artist from Katowice like us, whose work has inspired ours for 15 years, passed away. We strive to honor the memory of this extraordinary artist while correcting the many understatements and distortions about his life and work.

To mark this occasion, we prepared an expanded theatrical version of our performance "Die Puppe", previously presented at venues like Grace Exhibition Space in New York (USA), an event alongside Art Basel (CH), the Sadistic Circus in Tokyo (JP), “Per Aspera” in Bologna (IT), “Body Probe” in London (UK), and “Paradoxal” in La Rochelle (FR).

More info: suka-off.blogspot.com/p/die-puppe.html

We were hoping to show this performance in various venues in Poland and abroad to highlight these two anniversaries.

We have been invited to show "Die Puppe" at the International Contemporary Dance Festival in Mexico City. Presenting there our performance, which blends visual theater, dance, and body art, means a lot to us. We believe we’ve created a unique, multi-genre work that could resonate powerfully at a dance festival. Also we have never performed in Mexico, although we know many people there are interested in our art.

The organizers emphasized that the high interpretive, movement, and performative quality of our show, combined with its originality, will significantly enrich the program’s diversity.

After receiving the invitation, we were also contacted by local academic and artistic communities in Mexico, expressing interest in meetings and discussing potential future performances and lectures.

FIDCDMX is an independent festival with an established reputation, promoting diverse dance languages and artistic discourses for a decade.

More info:

www.facebook.com/FIDCDMX

www.instagram.com/fidcdmx

This 10th anniversary edition is a unique opportunity to celebrate its longstanding tradition and significance in the contemporary dance world. Artists from 21 countries across 5 continents (Australia, USA, Canada, Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, El Salvador, Mexico, Japan, Israel, Germany, Denmark, France, Italy, Ireland, UK, Switzerland, Poland, Czech Republic, Lithuania) have been invited.

We are the only ones from Poland. And we are the only ones who received no support for travel to Mexico, a prerequisite for participation. It’s now common for artists (or their supporting institutions) to cover flight costs, not the festival.

We are deeply saddened and ashamed that, despite representing our country abroad for three decades without asking for anything in return, the one time we need help, we face rejection. We received no support from the Adam Mickiewicz Institute (which runs the “Poland’s Culture in the World” program) or the Polish Embassy in Mexico. We have no other options. We cannot afford to cover the flights ourselves. Canceling our performance would show the world how Polish institutions care for their artists.

What we ask for?

We turn to you with a heartfelt plea: Help us prove that it’s people—the audience—not institutions, who decide which art and artists are worth presenting. Show that the festival curators didn’t make a mistake inviting our performance, but the institutions blocking us are wrong. Help us raise the funds needed to make our Mexico performance a reality. The amount we need is substantial for us, but with many small donations, it’s achievable.

Some of you might think we’re trying to fund a vacation abroad. From experience, we know some performers treat their art as a way to get free exotic trips. For us, paradoxically, travel is the only way to make art—because we have no opportunities at home.

Performing at an international festival with artists from 20 countries offers us immense opportunities to keep going. Help us seize this chance.

How much do we need and what will we spend it on?

We need €3,500.

Most of this will cover travel costs (two people, train from Katowice to Warsaw and back, flights from Warsaw to Mexico City and back, two checked bags). The rest will cover production costs (liquid latex, Instax films, set design elements) and our stay in Mexico.

Everyone who helps will receive a detailed breakdown of our expenses.

To back up our words, we’ve attached a letter from the organizer, confirming our invitation and clarifying what they provide.

What's in it for you?

How can we express our gratitude?

If everything goes as planned, we’ll film our festival performance and share it on our website, with credits to everyone who made it possible.

We’ll also create a dedicated page for our XXX anniversary, featuring an essay reflecting on our thoughts and feelings about the past three decades and the current situation, along with photos and, if available, videos from this year’s performances. A special section will address the Mexico project.

If you happen to be anywhere near us, we’d be thrilled to thank you in person.