Małgorzata Mirga-Tas’s art celebrates Roma culture through detailed, realistic depictions of everyday life—scenes of smoking, playing cards, or hanging laundry—and intricate textile works and sculptures. At Kunsthaus Bregenz, her exhibition Tełe Ćerhenia Jekh Jag (Under the Starry Heavens a Fire Burns) showcases her innovative approach, blending Roma narratives with contemporary and mythical elements.
Her breakthrough came at the 2022 Venice Biennale, where she lined the Polish Pavilion with large-scale textile collages inspired by the Italian Renaissance frescoes of Palazzo Schifanoia. These works feature three registers: a colorful frieze narrating the Roma’s migration to Europe, zodiac-inspired central portraits, and scenes of modern Roma life emphasizing community, femininity, and family. Through fabric collage, a nod to Roma craftsmanship, Mirga-Tas elevates sewing to a political act, portraying women as active protagonists, as seen in a self-portrait of her sewing with others.
On the first floor, her monochrome wax sculptures, the Jangare, contrast with her vibrant textiles. These faceless, vulnerable figures, reminiscent of archaic statues, serve as protective charms, blending sculptural presence with textile backdrops of women weaving and houses.
The second floor focuses on the blacksmith, inspired by a poem by Roma poet Jan Mirga. Portraits of Mirga-Tas’s grandfather and uncle, both blacksmiths, accompany tools like hoes and horseshoes, symbolizing Roma resilience and adaptability. The poem’s metaphors—forging iron, dance, the moon, and the peregrine falcon—evoke survival, freedom, and pride.
The top floor immerses visitors in a magical realm with three monumental wax bears, mythical creatures symbolizing nature, dreams, and rituals, woven into landscapes and human connections. Mirga-Tas’s work reclaims Roma narratives, challenging stereotypes and celebrating identity, community, and resilience through a fusion of textile art, sculpture, and storytelling.
Małgorzata Mirga-Tas: Tełe Ćerhenia Jekh Jag (Under the Starry Heavens a Fire Burns). Solo exhibition at Kunsthaus Bregenz. Bregenz (Austria), July 11, 2025.
