The exhibition traces the mechanisms of construction and dismantling of official narratives in Eastern Europe through the work of Rafał Milach (Gliwice, Poland, 1978). The project takes as its starting point the figure of Xenia Degelko, a young Belarusian activist who became a propaganda icon after the viral spread, in 2012, of a song praising the regime of Alexander Lukashenko. Her image became part of a symbolic gallery of “winners”—exemplary workers and role models—intended to reinforce the state narrative.

However, this structure began to crack with small gestures of individual resistance and collapsed in 2020, when Degelko, along with millions of citizens,
She participated in protests against widely disputed elections. This turn of events reveals the fragility of power structures and the capacity for action.
collective to subvert them.

Meanwhile, social mobilizations in Poland—in defense of the rights of women, the LGBTQ+ community, minorities, and the rule of law—demonstrate the emergence of self-organized networks that, in the face of crises such as the massive influx of refugees following the invasion of Ukraine, have filled the gaps left by institutional shortcomings. These dynamics have given rise to transnational communities of solidarity, while also highlighting the vulnerability of protection systems to structural inequality.

Through series such as The Winners and Seeding, alongside murals, banners, videos and materials from the Archive of Public Protests, the exhibition underscores the power of collective practices as forces capable of challenging the established political order
 

Image: Rafal Milach, from The Winners series (2010-2013) ©Rafal Milach, courtesy of the artist and Jednostka Gallery