It’s me, Judas | performance by Tomasz Terlikowski and Daniel Rycharski

The performance To ja, Judasz by Daniel Rycharski and Tomasz Terlikowski accompanies the artist’s installation Passion, presented during the Łódź of Many Cultures Festival at the Marek Edelman Dialogue Centre. Rycharski, reinterpreting the Stations of the Cross, looks at the heroes of the New Testament from a different perspective, uncovering new layers of meaning in well-known narratives and focusing particularly on the figure of Judas.

The traditional reading of the New Testament suggests that Judas’ motivations for betraying Jesus included greed, duplicity and the influence of unclean forces. Judas became the archetype of the betrayer, synonymous with infidelity and human weakness. Medieval painters depicted Judas in yellow robes, symbolising betrayal, with a face disfigured by evil and sin. In folk tradition, Judas puppets were burned or drowned as a symbolic expression of the condemnation of sin and as an act of purification of the community. Legend has it that Leonardo da Vinci, after painting Jesus at the Last Supper, spent many years searching for the perfect model for the face of Judas. He finally found a man whose appearance matched his image perfectly. To his surprise, it turned out that the same man, changed by difficult life experiences, had previously posed as a model for the figure of Jesus.

In the performance It’s Me, Judas, the role of Judas is played by Tomasz Terlikowski – a journalist, writer and publicist who for many years was associated with the conservative right and was a fierce critic of those who opposed the teachings of the Church. In recent years, however, he has become more critical of the Church’s institutions, highlighting scandals, corruption and abuse. Terlikowski has changed his stance on minorities and LGBT+ people, emphasising in his public statements the need to respect the dignity and respect of all people. His new views caused controversy in the media, where he was called a traitor to the Polish Catholic Church. At the beginning of 2024 he published the book To ja, Judasz, from which the title of the performance is taken.

Rycharski criticises a society that condemns and destroys individuals who transgress norms and conventions. Judas, who betrays his master and arranges for him to be handed over, becomes a figure through which the artist comments on the mechanisms of social exclusion and injustice. The figure of Judas, like that of Tomasz Terlikowski, allows the exploration of themes of guilt, responsibility, reparation and possible spiritual transformation. In the performance, Judas becomes the artist, director and actor of the crucifixion. Rycharski presents Judas as a symbol of humanity and the inevitability of betrayal, emphasising that it is inherent in human frailty. In this vision, we are all Judases.

Bio

Daniel Rycharski – born 1986 in Sierpc. He describes himself as a conceptual and avant-garde artist. He uses a variety of techniques, mainly installation. Between 2005 and 2009 he studied graphic design at the Faculty of Art at the Pedagogical University in Kraków. He then defended his doctorate at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków. In his artistic practice, he explores the themes of provincialism, religiosity, christianity and LGBTQ+ identity, looking for tensions and new connections between them. Rycharski’s art manifests his personal search for a space where non-heteronormativity and Christian faith can function together. The artist works with activists from the LGBTQ+ community, as well as religious and agricultural associations, to express their problems and experiences and to contribute to building understanding between the inhabitants of Polish towns and villages. As one of Rycharski’s main aims is to promote art in the countryside, he often involves his local community in the production of art. He teaches at the Academy of Art in Szczecin. He lives and works in Kurówek and Szczecin. A film based on Daniel Rycharski’s life, All Our Fears, directed by Łukasz Ronduda and Łukasz Gutt, was released in 2021.