Leading contemporary artist Małgorzata Mirga-Tas Documents Contemporary Roma Life in Her First Solo Exhibition in Denmark

Małgorzata Mirga-Tas
Pani, so tradeł / Water that Wanders
12 March – 16 August 2026

Kunsthal Charlottenborg presents the first solo exhibition in Denmark by Polish artist and activist Małgorzata Mirga-Tas (b. 1978), one of Europe’s most significant contemporary artists. Coinciding with the opening of the international documentary film festival CPH:DOX, the exhibition brings Roma culture to life through monumental textile collages that foreground community, cultural heritage, and women’s lived experiences.

VIP Preview: Thursday 12 March, 15.00-16.00
Kunsthal Charlottenborg invites the press to a preview of the exhibition, where artist Małgorzata Mirga-Tas, curator Henriette Bretton-Meyer, and director Helene Nyborg Bay will be present to introduce the exhibition. To notify us of your attendance and/or request interviews, please contact: jmh@kunsthalcharlottenborg.dk.

Working with textiles and embroidery—primarily sourced from family and friends—Małgorzata Mirga-Tas weaves poetry and politics into vivid, richly detailed narratives. Her works depict everyday life, relationships, and migration, while exploring cultural memory and collective identity. Materials such as curtains, jewellery, shirts, and bed linen are sewn together into what the artist describes as “micro-carriers” of history, where intimate, personal stories become part of larger historical and cultural perspectives. Rooted in Roma culture, of which she herself is a part, Mirga-Tas challenges art-historical hierarchies, gives visibility to Roma voices, and works to construct a positive and living representation of Roma communities.

Małgorzata Mirga-Tas achieved international acclaim in 2022 when she became the first Roma artist ever to represent a country at the 59th Venice Biennale, presenting her installation in the Polish pavilion. The work marked a historic moment and firmly established her presence on the international art scene.

Through vivid portraits and complex tableaux, Mirga-Tas presents Roma people as active agents in culture and history—grounded in a proud past and a living, evolving present. Her feminist approach places women at the centre as protagonists, collaborators, and holders of knowledge, elevating textile art from domestic craft to a powerful political and artistic practice.

For Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Mirga-Tas is creating several new textile works, two of which take their point of departure in historical artworks from Danish museum collections. By weaving Roma narratives, personal memory, and collective experience into these motifs, she reinterprets the original works, adds new layers of meaning, and places Roma lives and perspectives at the centre of the narrative. In addition, the exhibition presents a selection of existing works, offering a comprehensive insight into the artist’s practice.

Pani, so tradeł / Water that Wanders unfolds as a documentary journey through time and space, moving from archival material and histories of the Holocaust to contemporary life and relationships, and onwards towards female trailblazers shaping the narratives of tomorrow.

Helene Nyborg Bay, Director of Kunsthal Charlottenborg, says:

”Rooted in the personal, Małgorzata Mirga-Tas’ works open up narratives that resonate beyond individual experience. Her collages give voice to perspectives rarely represented in art history and highlight the importance of community, cultural heritage, and collective memory.”

The exhibition is curated by Henriette Bretton-Meyer and forms part of HUMAN:RIGHTS, a collaboration between Kunsthal Charlottenborg, CPH:DOX, and Human Rights Watch Denmark, supported by the Frececo Foundation. The exhibition is further supported by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, the Augustinus Foundation, the Danish Arts Foundation, and the Obel Family Foundation.

About the artist
Małgorzata Mirga-Tas (b. 1978, Zakopane, Poland) lives and works in Czarna Góra, Poland. She is a visual artist, activist, and educator whose practice challenges stereotypical and stigmatising representations of Roma people—particularly Roma women—and works to construct a positive iconography of Roma culture. Drawing on overheard conversations and scenes from work, leisure, and rest, her works are interwoven with recurring motifs such as the sun, flowers, and animals, transforming everyday life into Romani archetypes. Mirga-Tas’ practice is informed by a form of minority feminism that foregrounds women’s strength while remaining deeply rooted in her cultural heritage.

She has recently presented solo exhibitions at leading institutions including Collezione Maramotti, Italy (2025); Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, Norway (2025); Kunsthaus Bregenz, Austria (2025); Kunstmuseum Luzern, Switzerland (2025); Tate St Ives, UK (2024); Göteborgs Konsthall, Sweden (2023); and Zachęta National Gallery of Art, Poland (2023). Her work has also been featured in major international exhibitions such as the Diriyah Biennale (2024), Gwangju Biennale (2023), Documenta 15 (2022), and Berlin Biennale (2020), and she represented Poland at the 59th Venice Biennale (2022).

Practical information
Małgorzata Mirga-Tas: Pani, so tradeł / Water that Wanders
12 March – 16 August 2026
VIP Preview: 12 March, 15.00–16.00
Exhibition Opening: 12 March, 16.00–20.00 (free admission)
Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Kongens Nytorv 1, 1050 Copenhagen K
Learn more here

For further information about the exhibition, please contact:

Henriette Bretton-Meyer
Curator, Kunsthal Charlottenborg
hbm@kunsthalcharlottenborg.dk / (+45) 3374 4680

Press contact
Jeannie Møller Haltrup
Head of Communications, Kunsthal Charlottenborg
jmh@kunsthalcharlottenborg.dk / (+45) 3374 4629

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