Cleavage for Belarus

Calendar | Kolektyw Łaski, Kamil Kotarba, Jana Shostak, Kaja Dobrzańska

The #dekoltdlabialorussi calendar was created from a combination of solidarity and body positivity. We want to support the families of political prisoners in Belarus and at the same time show that helping has many faces and can combine fights on various fronts - from protests against dictatorship and violence to efforts to increase the visibility and acceptance of various bodies. Women's breasts have already become a symbol of solidarity with Belarus after activist Jana Shostak faced a wave of criticism for not wearing a bra at the protests. The idea for our project is very simple: in each photo, there is a topless model holding a cat. We decided to combine tits and cats, i.e. two viral images, the best and worst of the Internet at the same time. We want to show that our bodies belong to us, and only we can decide when we want to reveal them. Great artists and brave activists stood in front of Kamil Kotarba lens: Magda Gessler, Katarzyna Kozyra, Julia Kamińska and many others.

The calendar symbolically begins on August 9, the 1st anniversary of the outbreak of the Belarusian uprising. All funds from the sale of the calendar will be donated to the families of political prisoners in Belarus. The charity campaign is possible thanks to the Wysokie Obcasy Foundation, which fights for women's rights, equality and supports discriminated minorities. The foundation's work is possible thanks to your support from the readers of Gazeta Wyborcza and Wysokie Obcasy.

The PDF download is available only upon request by sending message here: nowyspiewnikpatriotyczny@gmail.com

On August 9, 2020, Alexander Lukashenko declared that he had won the presidential election with 80% of the vote. Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus since 1994, was running against Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the candidate of the democratic opposition, who refused to recognize the official election results. Just a few days after the results were announced, Belarusians took to the streets. Protests occurred in over 20 cities; on August 13, more than 150,000 people participated in the March of Heroes in Minsk alone.

Peaceful demonstrations took place across the country: protesters filled the streets, entire factories went on strike, and the white-red-white flags of a free Belarus waved from windows. This largest uprising since Belarus gained independence was met with an aggressive response from the authorities. Security forces brutally arrested protest participants. Human rights organizations estimate that around 33,000 people were detained, and Belarusian courts initiated nearly 1,800 criminal cases against strikers and independent journalists. According to the UN, at least 450 detained and arrested individuals were subjected to torture. The number of political prisoners held in detention centers and penal colonies is estimated at 639. These horrifying statistics continue to grow. Even the most trivial reasons suffice as a pretext for arrest, and the brutality of the security forces remains unabated.

Lukashenko's terror extends beyond Belarus's borders. In May 2021, a plane carrying opposition journalist Roman Protasevich was hijacked and forced to land in Minsk. In August of that year, the body of Vital Shishov, an activist running the Belarusian House in Ukraine, was found in Kyiv. The circumstances of his death remain unexplained.

August 9, 2020, marked a turning point in the lives of Belarusians. After August 9, events unfolded that no one had anticipated. A long, painful, and arduous struggle for freedom began. Fear for oneself and one's family set in, along with horror at the news of beatings and killings, conversations about emigration, and escapes from arrest. Those who decided to leave had to find their way in a new place during a pandemic. Meanwhile, those who chose to stay in the country were often left without means of livelihood due to their involvement in the protests.

On August 9, 2020, a revolution began in Belarus.

Solidarność in Progress (part of Jana Shostak show), Art City Center, Gorzów Wielkopolski, Poland, 2021.

Press about project (selected):

Modelki:

Katarzyna Ankudowicz, Beata Bandurska, Masza Borkowska, Bovska, Luna Czerniakowska, Katarzyna Drozdowicz, Magdalena Falińska, Ada Fijał, Magda Gessler, Tamara Gonzalez Perea, Maja Hirsch, Marianna Januszewicz, Joanna Jezierska, Martyna Kaczmarek, Julia Kamińska, Kamila Kamińska, Ola Kluczyk, Kolektyw Łaski (Julia Golachowska, Jagoda Kwiatkowska, Anna Shimomura), Magdalena Koleśnik, Katarzyna Kozyra, Marta Krzynówek, Alżbieta Leńska, Alex Linda, Katarzyna Lins, Max Reagan, Madame Meduse, Red Juliette, Marta Malinkowska, Katarzyna Mecinski, Edoli Ndoloka, Jana Shostak, Karolina Więckiewicz.Koty, fundacje,

hodowle:

„Ja Pacze Sercem” Fundacja Pomocy Kotom Niewidomym (Atencjusz, Mniszek), Dom tymczasowy u Renaty „Koty z przystani” (Rico, Ruslana, Sasza, Stefan, Swieta), hodowla Cat Taboo*PL (Bella, Biszkopt), hodowla kotów maine coon Muppety*Pl (Hagar Afgan*Pl, Hektor Muppety*Pl, Uorren History Lines*Ru), hodowla Ullo Kokkino – Aneta Wieczorek (Bastet Ullo Kokkino, Baloo Ullo Kokkino, Mick Jagger RexInk, Havana Ullo Kokkino, Morfeusz Ullo Kokkino, Prince Ullo Kokkino), Renata Inda (Tina), Patrycja Łukaszczyk (Dolar, Lola), Maria Rutkowska (Inka), @hrabiahomer, Ania, Cocteau, Czarek, Czarna, Lalla Fille Montegri*PL, Książę, Ruben, William, Zefir, Zetka, Zeus, Zuzu.

Charakteryzacja:

Alisa Styslavska Fiuk, Joanna Darnkiewicz, Monika Dudzińska, Dorota Herman, Ewa Komar, Marta Kozioł, Paulina Kurańda, Sara Pons.

Studio fotograficzne: Warszawska Szkoła Fotografii, Studio Up oraz: Katarzyna Drozdowicz, Marta Rudyk, Michał Szaranowicz, Szymon Szymankiewicz.

Zespół:

Opieka artystyczna: Jana Shostak i Kolektyw Łaski (Julia Golachowska, Jagoda Kwiatkowska, Anna Shimomura)

Fotograf/dyrektor artystyczny: Kamil Kotarba

Stylistka: Katarzyna Los

Graficzka: Kaja Dobrzańska

Producentki: Kolektyw ŁaskiPromotorka: Jagoda Kwiatkowska

Copywriterka: Julia Golachowska

Asystent produkcji: Maksym Januszewicz

Retuszerka: Izabela Bartman

Montażyści: Julia Oleksy, Jerzy Poniatowski

Operator, kolorkorektor,

Koproducent: Jakub Jasiukiewicz

Produkcja kalendarza oraz kampania charytatywna były możliwe dzięki wsparciu Fundacji Wysokich Obcasów.

Współpraca: MAM Jawellery, RISK made in Warsaw