Antonina Karczewska
I thought, let this master’s thesis be useful for something… especially since it embodies my approach to life, the world, and art:
The anthropocentric tradition of philosophical thought divides the world into nature and culture, thereby isolating people from nature, of which they have always been a part. Moreover, people are separated not only from non-human beings and inanimate nature, but also from each other. The neoliberal narrative also reinforces the individualism present in human societies, which cease to be communities and become “aggregates” of individuals. Not to mention that the demarcation line between nature and culture also runs through the bodies of all these individuals, dividing them post-enlightenment into the head—the culture-creating intellect—and the body—the natural, “unnecessary appendage.” In response to the tragic effects of broadly understood neoliberal isolation, I would like to propose reintegration based on the concept of care ethics created by Carol Gilligan and extended to the natural environment by ecofeminist philosophers. Post-humanist ethics of care is unlikely to save the world from climate catastrophe, but it can become a strategy for individuals and small communities to live a meaningful life – in accordance with higher values in late-capitalist realities.
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Representatives of this trend in feminist philosophy (…) believe that if the character traits stereotypically attributed to women, i.e., caring, relationality, tenderness, protectiveness, etc., had the opportunity to manifest themselves in the public sphere and supplant widespread competitiveness, rivalry, and greed, it would be possible to save humanity on Earth and restore balance to the natural environment. For ecofeminism, one of the most important categories is care, and in particular the ethics of care formulated by Gilligan. According to ecofeminists, this kind of moral approach may prove to be the key to the survival of the planet as we know it.
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The ethics of care can become one of the strategies for reintegration and rethinking the relationships that connect people with each other and with the broadly understood Others, where the goal is not to “save the world” as such, but rather to go through life with a sense of being part of a larger whole, finding meaning and fulfillment in nurturing the interdependencies inherent in existence. Then, “drinking from paper straws” or other gestures that protect the environment take on new meaning—they become an expression of care, respect, concern, and awareness.
Antonina Zofia Karczewska, born in 1998 in Toruń. Artist, activist, animator. In June 2025, she defended her master’s thesis at the Magdalena Abakanowicz University of the Arts in Poznań, titled “Everything-Anyway. Cultivating Interdependence as a Daily Practice in an Unstable World.” Her areas of interest and research in art include: memory, women’s history, ecofeminism, queer theory, identity, and relational aesthetics. In her practice, she uses various artistic media (ready-made, audio, photography, sculpture, text, graphics), choosing them depending on the theme being explored. She has participated in numerous group exhibitions across the country and a few solo shows. She occasionally conducts artistic workshops and curates exhibitions.

Cross out geometry Staged Photography, 2021 – no specified dimensions

Sisterhood Ready-made, Audio, Chain, Acrylic Paint, 20×40×300 cm, 2024

I'm walking and walking and the the step's growing stronger (tribute to Gombrowicz) Ceramics, Three Shoes, 10×35×5 cm, 2024

The Drop Drills the Rock Sculpture (Plaster, Sandstone, String), Audio, 30×20×30 cm, 2024

Our Daily Bread Computer Graphics, Object, Videoperformance, 10×4×15 cm, 2024

From Grandmother’s Grandmother Ready-made, Drawing, Animation, Audio, (3 photographs) 10×15 cm, Audio, 2023

From Grandmother’s Grandmother Ready-made, Drawing, Animation, Audio, (3 photographs) 10×15 cm, Audio, 2023

From Grandmother’s Grandmother Ready-made, Drawing, Animation, Audio, (3 photographs) 10×15 cm, Audio, 2023