Intertekstualność i nomadyczność sztuki w semiotycznym stawaniu się współczesnego człowieka

In this article, the concepts of intertextuality and nomadism – drawn from the postmodern terminological-methodological framework of semiotics as the study of meaning bearers and the variability of meanings in the human world – are used to explain the mechanisms of creating and disseminating works of art and their impact on the individual and society. The article points out both the ambiguity and the usefulness of the terms ‘text’ and ‘intertextuality’, which refer to the products of verbal communication and value-oriented human activities. Cultural texts therefore encompass paintings, photographs, films, sculptures, musical works, architecture, and all forms of popular culture. Intertextuality operates within the domain of intersubjective dialogism as an aspect of human communication where texts relate to one another. As modifications of earlier texts, they constantly interact through allusions and references – directly or indirectly, formally or substantively. Forming networks of multidimensional intertextual relations, texts are subject to endless reinterpretations. Viewing art through the lens of dynamic intertextual relationships is supported by the theory of nomadism, which illustrates the analogy between personal development and social transformations across many spheres of life, including art. Nomadism characterizes the individual who, having the capacity of affecting and being affected, transcends the rules and norms in the use of signs and symbols. It defines the semiotic subject in its becoming determined by conditions and forms of existence, marked by opposing values and conceptual ambiguities, particularly in an era of political, economic, and social change, the increasing access to information technologies, and rising mobility.