Joanna Rajkowska, Palma

Palma, or Greetings from Aleje Jerozolimskie

The palm was set up in Warsaw in 2002.

The original idea was to create an entire line of palm trees, but eventually one line was created. The installation refers to the pre-war structure of the city, in which the Jewish quarter was located on the extension of Aleje Jerozolimskie. The palm was made by the American company soul-utions.com. It was made of plastic and natural materials. It is about 15 meters high. It is waterproof. Stability is ensured by mounting it on a metal structure loaded with concrete prefabricated elements.

It is undoubtedly the most famous artistic project in urban space in Poland, which could only give way to Julita Wójcik’s Tęcza, if the Tęcza survived the attack of bandits. It has merged with Warsaw and is its recognizable image element, although it is not known how long it will remain, as Warsaw plans to rebuild the DeGaula roundabout, which may take away its place.

It is not clear who the real owner of the palm tree is.

At the beginning of summer 2007, the palm tree underwent renovation, during which the bark on the trunk and leaves were replaced (which completely changed the shape of the artificial tree’s crown) and the condition of the mounting bolts and joints was checked, this time protecting them much better against corrosion and weather conditions that had so far become severe. . By the way – after dismantling the previous leaves – a new head was installed, which in the future was to increase the durability of the structure and facilitate the replacement of leaves.

In 2010, there were again talks about the purchase of the palm, the author proposed the amount of one million zlotys. Rajkowska, despite the declaration of the sale of the rights to the palm tree, still wanted to decide about its fate.

In February 2011, with the approval of Joanna Rajkowska, a Palestinian scarf was hung on a palm tree as part of a protest action against the visit of the Polish government to Israel.

In 2012, on the eve of the start of the EURO 2012 European Football Championship, Joanna Rajkowska, together with the 10 June Movement , in protest against the policy of Warsaw authorities and placing a huge soccer ball next to a palm tree without consulting it, hung a banner on it with the words Bread instead of the Games and removed all the leaves .