The gain is not worth a candle (Skórka za wyprawkę)

In "Skórka za wyprawkę" (The gain is not worth a candle), Dawicki critiques the art market. He does it in his own way, with humour and irony. The film follows the teleshopping convention. The subject of the sale is a 2003 painting by Rafał Bujnowski, Skórka. Dawicki, in an outfit typical of his previous performances, a navy blue brocade jacket, persuades the audience to buy the painting using typical marketing techniques. The film uses elements characteristic of advertisements. A nice family has trouble with a rabbit skin, gathering dust on a wall in their house. Dawicki finds a solution in the form of a painting depicting such an item. The price of the painting/commodity is extremely attractive – 7000€! What’s more, as part of an extremely favourable special offer, you can also buy an advertising video – both for 8500€. The persuasive message is reinforced by art market experts’ opinions from unquestionable authorities in this field – Anda Rottenberg, Jarosław Suchan, and Adam Szymczyk.

When discussing works of art, we rarely discuss their market value. And yet, just like in other areas of life, money plays a huge role in art. Artists’ livelihoods and the range of possibilities they have in their work depend on them. Art undoubtedly needs the art market, but the forms of promotion it enforces can easily become grotesque – they are funny and simultaneously a little frightening, which Dawicki presents in this piece with a great deal of grace and mockery.