Tango art magazine, published in the years 1983-1986 is the most important material product and a testimony to the existence of the Pitch-In Culture. There were 9 issues of Tango, although numbers of the issues do not reflect that, as they were given at random, in accordance with programmed principles of inconsistency and humbug followed especially by the Łódź Kaliska members who constituted the core of the Pitch-In Culture. Each issue was printed in A4 format in ca. 200 copies. Adam Rzepecki designed the iconoclastic cover the famous first edition of Tango, which featured a reproduction of the painting of Our Lady from Jasna Góra monastery with moustache painted over it.
Tango was a collective work: artists related to the Pitch-In Culture would send their works, which were then published on the pages of the magazine. Typesetting and print were also a collective effort of the creators who would meet in one place (not necessarily Łódź, although geographically it was the centre of the Pitch-In Culture, but also e.g. in Nowa Huta). Each issue had its own editor-in-chief and contained works by several artists. The collective model of preparing the publication was important for strengthening the ties between the artists, and was a part of being together, in which creative work mixed with discussions, jokes, and fun.
The Pitch-In Culture was founded upon rejection of both official and opposition art circles. Artistic establishment and hierarchies, as well as political commitment were met with dissent against the entire social and cultural systems, not just the institution of political power. Owing to that fact, the Pitch-In Culture remained on the margin, only to remind of itself through scandals, provocations, and profanity. Therefore such important is the role of Tango, a tangible artefact corroborating private and personal ties between the participants of the Pitch-In Culture and the very existence of this ephemeral community. Along with such journals as Oj Dobrze Już by Gruppa, Luxus by Luxus Group, publications by Totart, the Orange Alternative, or Leeeżeć Community, Tango was one of the most brilliant examples of underground art magazines of the 1980s.
Sources:
Jarosław Lubiak (ed.), "Szczerość i blaga. Etyka prac Łodzi Kaliskiej w latach 1979-89", Łódź 2009.
Marek Janiak (ed.), "Kultura Zrzuty", Warszawa 1989.
