Małgorzata Mirga-Tas

Małgorzata Mirga-Tas, a Polish artist of Roma origin, has established herself as one of the most significant voices in contemporary Roma art, contributing to the construction of an imaginary free from stereotypical and reductive representations. The work draws inspiration from the history of Operation Bernadotte, initiated in 1945 by the Swedish nobleman Folke Bernadotte together with the Swedish Red Cross: a humanitarian action that, through a fleet of white buses, enabled the evacuation of approximately 15,000–20,000 prisoners from the Nazi concentration camps of Ravensbrück and Neuengamme, bringing them to safety in neutral Sweden. The artist’s interest in this episode stems from the encounter with the story of two young Roma women who managed to save themselves by crossing the border in disguise, without the required documents. Their experience highlights the border as a selective device, capable of regulating and restricting individual mobility, while also revealing the ambiguities and limitations of humanitarian interventions. Forced to conceal their identity in order to survive, the two protagonists expose how racial hierarchies have historically shaped — and continue to shape — access to safety and freedom of movement. Mirga-Tas translates this narrative into an elaborate textile collage, bringing together heterogeneous materials, often sourced from garments belonging to the portrayed individuals. Marked by use and imbued with individual memories, these fabrics are reworked and given new life, becoming narrative surfaces that weave together stories, identities, and testimonies.