O ideologizacji przekonań i postaw estetycznych (wokół publicznego sporu na temat artystycznej instalacji „Tęcza” na placu Zbawiciela w Warszawie)

The main issue of the article is the process of ideologization of the discourse on modern art. The author analyses media statements following the burning down of Julita Wójcik’s art installation “Tęcza” in Warsaw. The dispute mentioned did not focus on the aesthetic judgements, but on the symbolic value of the work. Built to symbolize the tolerance for homosexuals, the installation prompted intense aggression (both physical and verbal) among representatives of the extreme right. The author juxtaposes statements coming from both sides of the conflict. What merits particular attention here is the strategy of hybridization of discourses that are mutually exclusive (discourse of tolerance and discourse of exclusion). It aims at devaluing the discourse of tolerance and “softening” the negative image of the discourse of exclusion.