Sławomir Sierakowski

Sławomir Sierakowski, in a debate, Warsaw, Nowy Wspaniały Świat

Sławomir Sierakowski (Polish pronunciation: [swaˈvɔmir ɕɛraˈkɔfskʲi]; b. 4 November 1979) is the leader of "Krytyka Polityczna" (Political Critique), the widest movement of left-wing intellectuals, artists and activists based in Poland (with the branches in Ukraine, Germany and Russia). He has studied in the College of Inter-Faculty Individual Studies in the Humanities, Warsaw University (studied faculties: sociology, philosophy, economics) and has been visiting fellow at universities and scientific centres in Europe and the United States, including Princeton University, Yale University, Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna and the guest speaker in many others. He has written essays and articles on Polish and European politics and culture published in several languages. Many times selected to the lists of the most influential Poles published by the mainstream press “Polityka”, “Wprost”, “Newsweek”.

Work an experience

Since 2002 he is the founder and editor-in-chief of “Krytyka Polityczna” (The Political Critique) magazine and the Publishing House of the Political Critique, head of “The Brave New World”– the largest Polish independent cultural centre and think-tank in Warsaw – a place that serves as a forum for discussion, art presentations and social and political projects (situated in the centre of Warsaw at Nowy Swiat 63 street).

Since 2005 he is the president of Stanislaw Brzozowski Association which runs 6 cultural centers (Warsaw, Gdansk, Łódź and Cieszyn, Kyev, Berlin) and 25 local centers in Poland, Ukraine, Russia and Germany; publishing house, magazine, internet daily newspaper

In October 2003 he initiated “The Open Letter to the European Public Opinion" (signed by 250 leading intellectuals) confronting the position of the Polish government in support of the Constitutional Treaty for the EU and the federalist model of European integration. The letter was published in “Le Monde”, “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”, “Gazeta Wyborcza”, “Rzeczpospolita” and other European newspapers. The Letter caused a large public debate concluded in the official meeting between the Polish President, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of European Affairs and the representation of signatories.

The publications include more than 400 essays and op-eds mainly devoted to Polish and European politics and culture. Among them opinion articles, interviews (with Jürgen Habermas, Michael Walzer, Charles Taylor, Ulrich Beck, Slavoj Zizek, Ernesto Laclau, Hayden White, Chantal Mouffe, Michel Houellebecq, Michel Faber, Amos Oz, Etgar Keret, David Grossman ), and book reviews published in Polish, French, Spanish, German, Czech, Izraeli, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Romanian, dailies, weeklies and periodicals, incl. “The Guardian”, “El Pais”, “Haaretz”, “die tageszeitung”, ”Transit”, “Gazeta Wyborcza”.

Art cooperation

He took a part in art project (as co-scriptwriter and actor) – film trilogy made by Israeli-Dutch visual artist Yael Bartana. Part I: “Mary Koszmary” (“Nightmares”, 2008) premiered at the Pompidou Centre in Paris and shown in the top galleries in more than 20 countries (including The Jewish Museum, The Guggenheim Museum in NY, Tate Modern in London, AGO in Toronto, UCI in LA) and debated in media (including “Gazeta Wyborcza”, “Haaretz”, “The New York Times”.) Part II: “Mur i Wieża” (“Wall and Tower”) was produced in 2009, and the Part III (“Assasination”) represented Poland in the Venice Biennale 2011.

External links

• The Political Critique (in polish)
• Political Critique in London
• Nowy Wspaniały Świat