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MAŁGORZATA MIRGA-TAS

MAŁGORZATA MIRGA-TAS

b. 1978, Poland
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Małgorzata Mirga-Tas Biography

The work of Romani artist, educator, and activist Małgorzata Mirga-Tas (b. Zakopane) addresses anti-Roma stereotypes and engages in building an affirmative iconography of Roma communities. Her work depicts everyday life: relationships, alliances and shared activities. Mirga-Tas’s vibrant textile collages are created from materials and fabrics collected from family and friends, which imbues them with a life of their own and a corresponding immediacy. Patchworks made of curtains, jewellery, shirts, and sheets, are sewn together to form so-called ‘microcarriers’ of history, just as resulting images revise macro perspectives.

‘It is hard to separate activism from art. These two activities merge, permeating and affecting each other... I can’t shout. I thought that what I can do is talk about my community, show how we see ourselves. And the tool I use is art.’

Mirga-Tas’s portrayals take the perspective of ‘minority feminism’, which consciously advocates for women’s strength while acknowledging the artist’s cultural roots. Mirga-Tas was the official Polish representative at the 59th Venice Biennale in 2022 – the first Roma artist to represent any country. Her vibrant works offer a rare opportunity to see the Roma on their own terms, both as a contemporary community and as a people with a rich heritage.

Text courtesy Frith Street Gallery

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Magorzata Mirga-Tas contemporary artist
Małgorzata Mirga-Tas Pricing / Available Works
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Explore Małgorzata Mirga-Tas' Exhibitions

Contemporary art exhibition Magorzata Mirga-Tas Magorzata Mirga-Tas at Tate St Ives United Kingdom
Małgorzata Mirga-Tas Tate St Ives 19 October 2024–5 January 2025
St Ives
Contemporary art exhibition Group Exhibition Unravel The Power and Politics of Textiles in Art at Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam Netherlands
Group Exhibition Unravel: The Power and Politics of Textiles in Art Stedelijk Museum 14 September 2024–5 January 2025
Amsterdam
Contemporary art exhibition Group Exhibition Unravel The Power and Politics of Textiles in Art at Barbican London United Kingdom
Group Exhibition Unravel: The Power and Politics of Textiles in Art Barbican 13 February–26 May 2024
London

Representative Artworks

Małgorzata Mirga-Tas, Romani Kali Daj (Roma Madonna) (2024); June (2022) and Ćhajengri Duma (Women's Thoughts) (2024). Exhibition view: Małgorzata Mirga-Tas, Tate St Ives (19 October 2024–5 January 2025). © Małgorzata Mirga-Tas. Photo © Tate (Lucy Green).
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Małgorzata Mirga-Tas, My Mother (2019). © Małgorzata Mirga-Tas. Courtesy Tate. Purchased with funds provided by the Russia and Eastern Europe Acquisitions Committee 2021. Exhibition view: I Have a Dream, Goteborgs Konsthall (2023). Photo: Hendrik Zeitler.
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Małgorzata Mirga-Tas, Juana Vargas de las Heras 'La Macarrona' (2023). Courtesy the artist and Frith Street Gallery, London, Foksal Gallery Foundation, Warsaw and Karma International, Zurich. Photo José Morón.
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Małgorzata Mirga-Tas, Krystyna Gil, from the series 'Siukar Manusia' (2022). Exhibition view: Małgorzata Mirga-Tas, Tate St Ives (19 October 2024–5 January 2025). © Małgorzata Mirga-Tas. Photo © Tate (Lucy Green).
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Małgorzata Mirga-Tas, Dromeskri Zuta (On the Journey) (2024); Still on the Journey (2024). Exhibition view: Małgorzata Mirga-Tas, Tate St Ives (19 October 2024–5 January 2025). © Małgorzata Mirga-Tas. Photo © Tate (Lucy Green).
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Exhibition view: Małgorzata Mirga-Tas, Re-enchanting the World, Polish Pavilion at the Biennale Arte, Venice (23 April–27 November 2022). Courtesy Zachęta — National Gallery of Art. Photo: Daniel Rumiancew.
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Exhibition view: Małgorzata Mirga-Tas, Re-enchanting the World, Polish Pavilion at the Biennale Arte, Venice (23 April–27 November 2022). Courtesy Zachęta — National Gallery of Art. Photo: Daniel Rumiancew.
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Exhibition view: Małgorzata Mirga-Tas, Re-enchanting the World, Polish Pavilion at the Biennale Arte, Venice (23 April–27 November 2022). Courtesy Zachęta — National Gallery of Art. Photo: Daniel Rumiancew.
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Małgorzata Mirga-Tas, Re-enchanting the World (2022) (detail). Textile installation (fragment). Exhibition view: Re-enchanting the World, Polish Pavilion at the Biennale Arte, Venice (23 April–27 November 2022). Courtesy Zachęta — National Gallery of Art. Photo: Daniel Rumiancew.
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Małgorzata Mirga-Tas in Ocula Magazine

Londons National Portrait Gallery Invites Contemporary Artists to Respond to Historical Portraiture
News London’s National Portrait Gallery Invites Contemporary Artists to Respond to Historical Portraiture Elaine YJ Zheng The landmark institution aims to tell the story of Britain through portraiture—and now through commissioning eight artists including reputed storytellers like Helen Cammock, Soheila Sokhanvari, and Małgorzata Mirga‑Tas to respond to the collection.
Joanna Warsza Art Will Remind Us That We Need to Go In Another Direction
Spotlight Joanna Warsza: 'Art Will Remind Us That We Need to Go In Another Direction' Ellen Mara De Wachter In Brussels, Bozar hosts an exhibition that focuses on Poland’s vantage point at the epicentre of the continual shifts and struggles in Eastern Europe. Ocula speaks to its curator on the impetus for the show at this critical time for the region.
Magorzata Mirga-Tas Recasts Romani Stories with Love
Spotlight Małgorzata Mirga-Tas Recasts Romani Stories with Love Stephanie Bailey Małgorzata Mirga‑Tas recasts Romani stories and lives beyond the violence of historic stereotypes.
Guangzhou Triennial 2023 Is an Opus to Change
News Guangzhou Triennial 2023 Is an Opus to Change Michael Irwin The Triennial opens on 10 February with works by artists including Cao Fei, Marc Lafia, and Małgorzata Mirga‑Tas.
Magorzata Mirga-Tas and Joanna Warsza on the Polish Pavilion in Venice
Conversation Małgorzata Mirga-Tas and Joanna Warsza on the Polish Pavilion in Venice Maria Lind At the Venice Biennale’s Polish Pavilion, Małgorzata Mirga‑Tas combines Romani visual cultures and its forgotten histories.
Venice Biennale Pavilion Highlights Arsenale and Giardini
Spotlight Venice Biennale Pavilion Highlights: Arsenale and Giardini Stephanie Bailey and Mohammad Salemy Reporting from the 59th Venice Biennale, we review some of this year’s national pavilion highlights at the Arsenale and Giardini.

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