Why are images of girls in distress so alluring? Polish artist Aleksandra Waliszewska rebels against traditional representations of victimhood. In her paintings on cardboard, reminiscent of Raymond
Pettibon, the girls do not need or want to be rescued. 

Although seemingly innocent and vulnerable, they are depicted as forces of aggression and ruthless domination. Born during Communism but coming of age after its fall in 1989, Waliszewska moves easily across cultural contexts, enjoying both institutional acclaim as well as popularity among Poland’s youth counterculture.

Part of the 2000 Words series conceived by Massimiliano Gioni and published by the DESTE Foundation, this colorful monograph of Waliszewska’s work, with an essay by Lauren Cornell, calls into question society’s moral bounds by reveling in lawlessness and depravity.

Edited by
Karen Marta

Comissioning editor
Massimiliano Gioni