The miracle of a penis

‘A great penis falls from heaven. We pose it like Christ. […] Smelling like a rose (penis like rosary)’ – we found this note on a torn piece of paper that had fallen out of an agreement folder. In the margin, there was a note ‘The miracle of a penis?.’ Below it, there was a childish drawing of a phallus, radiating light like Jesus in Adolf Hyla’s ‘Divine Mercy’ painting. This satirical note well captures TERAZ POLIŻ’s critical attitude towards the Catholic Church in Poland as an institution upholding patriarchy, which preserves the male-centric nature of our culture and marginalises women in public life. Artists often speak out against the Church’s policies armed only with a highschool joke and a satirical nursery rhyme. In their work, humour becomes the strength of the powerless, allowing them to resist clerical violence from a vulnerable position.