Małgorzata Mirga-Tas
The Whitworth proudly presents the first solo exhibition in the UK by acclaimed Roma-Polish artist Małgorzata Mirga-Tas.
This exhibition showcases more than 20 textile-based works by the artist, alongside three pieces chosen by Mirga-Tas from the Whitworth’s textile collection. Exploring key themes within the artist’s practice, the exhibition challenges stereotypical representations of Roma people across history to the present day.
Mirga-Tas creates elaborate, colourful, textile-based compositions that feature striking portraits of Roma people, originating from the artist’s response to art history and research into the photographic archives, both public and personal. These include portraits of survivors of the Holocaust, during which hundreds of thousands of Romani people were killed. The artist creates works using fabrics – some of which belonged to the individuals on display – chosen to best reflect their personalities.
Other works offer responses to depictions of the Roma community in European Old Master painting, in which Roma people were often exoticised and unidentified. Instead, Mirga-Tas presents members of her community on a grand scale, treating them as dignified individuals. Adopting a feminist perspective, Mirga-Tas’s practice foregrounds female labour and the deep connections between women within the Roma world.
This is also an opportunity to consider the Whitworth’s textile collection in a new light. Mirga-Tas has chosen textiles created by communities from other contexts from the gallery’s collection, which are shown alongside her own work.
Małgorzata Mirga-Tas is organised by Tate St Ives in collaboration with the Whitworth.
11 April – 7 September 2025
Image: Małgorzata Mirga-Tas, Out of Egypt, from the series Out of Egypt, 2021. © Małgorzata Mirga-Tas
