The migrating mosaic project "Deus Pluto conservat omnia" is a collective bas-relief by queer artists from Poland and Belarus. The mosaic manifests the reclaiming of our place in public space through the use of craft techniques once employed in Soviet Union propaganda. A shared experience in the former Eastern Bloc countries is the ongoing practice and discussion of decommunization and, more recently, decolonization of urban spaces. The removal of Soviet monuments and symbols of occupation has intensified following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Queering the tools of propaganda becomes a practice of care. "Deus Pluto conservat omnia" was created by artists from the LGBTQIAP+ community, which is still widely marginalized and criminalized in Eastern European countries.

Queering the homogeneity of Polish society means responsibly creating a shared space with newcomers and the artistic diaspora from Belarus and Ukraine. Mosaic became the official public art form of the Soviet Union in 1918, chosen over painted murals due to its longevity and resistance to harsh winters. These building projects arose from the drive to rebuild cities as socialist utopias, free from outdated traditions. In contemporary literature, more works are being dedicated to women and peasants, which is encouraging, but there is still a glaring absence of LGBTQIAP+ representation. The mosaic demands political space for the queer community. Manifesting counter-discourses is about building an equal society through the creation of visible traces of our presence. Practicing decolonization by using craft as a tool for our own "propaganda"—of an equal and open society—this is the goal of the Polish-Belarusian queer artistic coalition.

In Poland's public space, there are no monuments, anti-monuments, symbols, or any visible presence of the LGBTQIAP+ community. In the social consciousness, LGBT people are encountered in bars or "fag parks," and gay men dance the polonaise. In Warsaw, the rainbow has burned too many times. By marking our presence, we strive for collective healing.

"We must build our own buildings when the world does not welcome us." (Sara Ahmed, Feminist Killjoy).

In the mosaic project, we use our own symbolism: Pluto, the sickle, the cosmos, and a worker figure under the motto "Deus Pluto conservat omnia." Pluto, the dwarf planet, was stripped of its planetary status by the International Astronomical Union in 2006 and disinherited from the Solar System. Pluto was demoted, its position diminished, and it ceased to be recognized as a planet. Pluto is queer! In Greek mythology, Pluto represents the underworld, its wealth, and leads people to a new reality. Pluto symbolizes new beginnings and change. Deus Pluto conservat omnia! (Latin for "Pluto preserves everything!") Queering worker symbols, such as an androgynous worker holding a sickle, and double-headed sickles floating in space. The sickle symbolizes femininity, regeneration, the "cutting off" of the past, and embracing a new beginning—a feminist society based on trust, care, and equality.

Text: Katarzyna Wojtczak

Artists:
Alexey Lunev, Małgorzata Mycek, Raman Tratsiuk, Katarzyna Wojtczak

Concept and Curator:
Katarzyna Wojtczak

Production:
DOMIE (Goś Patalas, Zuza Szczepańska, Lidia Dziewulska, Jakub Kosecki)

Expert support and workshop:
Mosaic artist Paulina Garbiec (Social Mosaic Studio)

Porcelain support:
Fenek Studio (Warsaw), Bogucicie Porcelain (Katowice), Amfora Ceramic Center (Poznań)

The project was realized in collaboration with DOMIE, the Rönne Stiftung Foundation, and KALEKTAR.org, under the auspices of the German Federal Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Civil Society Cooperation.