The Archive of Public Protests
The Archive of Public Protests was founded in 2019 in Warsaw, Poland. It brings together the visual traces of social activism and grassroots initiatives opposing not just political decisions but also breaches of democratic norms and human rights. In 2020, A-P-P launched an interventionist publication called The Strike Newspaper, collecting slogans, testimonies, and images of protests. Thirty thousand copies of seven thematic issues—dedicated to various problems from pro-choice, climate change, and LGBTQ+ rights to the refugee crisis and war in Ukraine—have been distributed and used by protesters across Poland and abroad. Aside from street activity and guerrilla distribution, the work of A-P-P has been shown in galleries, museums, and festivals in Europe, while critical texts about A-P-P’s activities have appeared in Le Monde, Vogue, Huffington Post, Die Zeit, BJP, The Calvert Journal, and other publications.
Authors: Michał Adamski, Marta Bogdańska, Karolina Gembara, Łukasz Głowala, Marcin Kruk, Agata Kubis, Michalina Kuczyńska, Adam Lach, Alicja Lesiak, Oleg Marusic, Rafał Milach, Joanna Musiał, Chris Niedenthal, Wojtek Radwański, Bartek Sadowski, Karolina Sobel, Paweł Starzec, Grzegorz Wełnicki, Dawid Zieliński.
It is a collection of images that constitutes a warning against rising right wing populism and discrimination in the broadest sense of the term: xenophobia, homophobia, misogyny, and also the climate crisis. In establishing the Archive, its creators wish to prolong the life of their images, which are connected with specific events, and whose existence ends with their publication in the press. The APP gathers together photographs in a single, easily accessible collection, which will remain accessible to researchers, artists and activists. Additionally, use of the Archive’s resources will be open to all users who express a desire to communicate the values with which its creators identify.