Art and civil society: From protest to cooperation

In the article, adopting the democratic transformation perspective, the author focuses on art as a specific area of civil society. With an eye on Poland, various forms of artistic activism are analyzed and compared, from artistic vanguard and protest art of the communist period, to the practices of cultural democracy and social art of the present day. In particular, the concept of social art is explained and exemplified with three model projects, each set in a different context ‐ of an open public space, local community and minority group, and each representing a different set of social functions.