Małgorzata Mirga-Tas

The title of Malgorzata Mirga-Tas’s exhibition at the Collezione Maramotti, The Big Dipper Will Foretell the Future of the Roma, is taken from a poem by the Romani poet Bronisława Wajs (1908–1987), also known as Papusza. One of the first Romani poets to be translated into Polish and then English and German, Mirga-Tas has placed various phrases from her poems on the upper band of a large circus-like tent that forms the heart of her exhibition. Like Papusza, Mirga-Tas has been making work that talks about the Roma communities, shedding light on its diversity, history and identity, including her much praised installation Re-enchanting the World, at the 2022 Venice Biennale.

In Italy, the first recorded document that notes the arrival of the Roma people dates from 1422, which states that travellers from Egypt (as they were first thought to be from) “arrived in Bologna and the doors opened for them.” “So,” as Mirga-Tas notes, “there has been a long presence here even if they have not been well integrated or accepted.” In the Reggio Emilia region, where the Collezione Maramotti is located, there is a long-established community of Roma and Sinti people, many of whom have for generations worked within the carnival or ‘funfair’ business. This work requires constant movement within the country, setting up the temporary rides and games for the festivals. In the off season, Reggio Emilia became a base for the workers, in part due to its central location within the country.

Over the course of roughly 18-months, while preparing the exhibition, Mirga-Tas made several visits to Reggio Emilia, and on each occasion, she would meet people, taking down stories, photographing and collecting old archives that informed the imagery used in the exhibition. She also worked with local governmental offices set up to help support the Roma and Sinti communities, and there was an important collaboration and support among them.

The Big Dipper Will Foretell the Future of the Roma weaves in these collected historical archives, family albums, personal conversations and present-day realties. Using found fabrics, may coming from the people she meets or from local markets, all in a range of colours, patterns and textures, Mirga-Tas draws, cuts, collages and sews to reveal untold stories, from the past and present. The colourful patchwork of patterned fabrics are sewn together to reveal scenes of domestic life: of families or friends relaxing, of elderly women gathering, a couple dancing, young children playing, of animals, carousel rides, bicycles and cars. The images are vivid in their capturing of intimate and relaxed moments, an individual’s facial expressions and surrounding atmosphere.

Mirga-Tas also engages the local community in the process of sewing and constructing the fabrics together. “The process of cutting and assembling these found materials, which are joined together with stitches that remain visible, suggests both a real and a metaphorical practice of repair, a repositioning of (and within) history, along with an empathetic inclination to care for what is considered marginal.” Mirga-Tas used the idea of the swing chair ride – one of the most popular rides at the fair – as a way to talk about movement and connect the various scenes; but it is also symbolic of this constant motion experienced by the Roma; “The passage of time, the way life seems to return with each new season, the wheeling of planets in cosmic space, the idea of perpetual travel.”

In addition to the central circus tent, the artist has made several wooden horses – their shape recalling those used in carousel rides – but here they are left unpainted – and are freely grazing in the gallery space. A large patchwork collage also frames the exhibition – the image of a man and young child in front of a large van, preparing for the next stop on the tour – the mountains and landscape rising up in the background as if also telling a story about the place and moment.

What’s essential to Mirga-Tas’s work and within the exhibition, The Big Dipper Will Foretell the Future of the Roma, is the wider understanding of the Roma culture, which is vast and expansive, including dozens of languages, beliefs and histories. Her work gives a new voice to this marginalized community, instilling a deeper understanding of the struggles and discrimination, while also showing the beauty of the culture and the unique place that it has in the world.

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