Markus Öhrn and Karol Radziszewski present a brutal lesson in a little-known history. "Fobia" is a convergence of two different artistic practices. Markus Öhrn employs an exaggerated, sharp, almost cartoonish visual language, while Karol Radziszewski employs a research-based and documentary approach, focusing on Poland's non-heteronormative, untold history. The performance, in typical Markus Öhrn fashion, is constructed in three episodes. The "Fag Fighters," a pink gay commando from Radziszewski's ongoing project since 2007, confront members of a family, as well as representatives from the worlds of business and art.

"Fobia" serves as an ironic critique of society. The creators examine the issue of violence and stigmatizing stereotypes surrounding LGBTQ+ individuals, with the "Fag Fighters" they take over the language of hatred for their own use. The creators' critical examination of these three domains: family, business, and culture, serves as a pretext to delve into the exploitation of minority groups, driven by the desire to build their own symbolic capital, amass wealth, or strengthen authority. One of the themes explored is the so-called "pinkwashing," for example, when international corporations, capitalizing on excessive consumerism, promote their brands by simulating support for LGBTQ+ individuals.

So, what is homophobia then? Is it only explicit violence and hatred expressed directly, or could it be a hidden element in integration scenarios written by heteronormative individuals? Markus Öhrn and Karol Radziszewski take us on a rollercoaster ride through stereotypes, apparent tolerance, alleged acceptance, and some of our most deeply held, supposedly righteous beliefs.

Fag Fighters (2007-ongoing)
Fag Fighters are a fictional urban guerrilla unit, a „fag-gang” operating at the margins of mainstream society, marking their territory with graffiti signatures and committing acts of violence, including sexual violence. The Fag Fighters identification mark are their pink balaclavas. From the video Fag Fighters: Prologue we learn that the balaclavas have been made by Karol Radziszewski’s grandmother. Poland’s right wing perceives the gay community as a deadly threat for social order. Radziszewski intercepts and amplifies the stereotype-based conservative discourse and transforms it into an asocial, anarchic, subversive fantasy. He also fabricates evidence of the unit’s activity—graffiti, footprints, amateur pictures taken by the gang members. The border between drama and simulation is blurred; fiction appears disturbingly realistic.

The video Fag Fighters: Prologue can be seen as a bridge spanning the two realities that Radziszewski introduces into the field of his art: the family and the gay subculture. Both of these social spaces belong to the realm of the artist’s private life and yet they seem to be worlds apart; they are two opposite poles of Radziszewski’s identity. And yet the extremities unexpectedly meet in Fag Fighters: Prologue. The video shows the artist’s grandmother making pink balaclavas on an old-fashioned sewing machine. The caps will become an attribute of the Fag Fighters—a squad of gay anarchists invented by Radziszewski.

(from the curatorial text by Stach Szablowski / "I Always Wanted" exhibition catalogue published by CCA Ujazdowski Castle in Warsaw, 2007)