Goshka Macuga

Goshka Macuga (*1967 in Warsaw, Poland, lives and works in London) is a multimedia conceptual artist. Macuga's practice is based on historical and archival research, which forms the basis for her sculptures, tapestries, installations, environments, photographs, paintings, and collages. The artist questions historiography, political and social structures, and myths in order to explore pressing issues of our time. Her multifaceted approach, which extends into curatorial and narrative fields, gives rise to narratives that combine imagination and history. Pioneering moments in human history, as well as outstanding works by other artists and thinkers, serve as her material. Her focus is primarily on cultural-historical connections, especially those of the international avant-garde of the 20th century. Commonly used keywords of modernism, such as belief in progress, authorship, and utopia, are reevaluated. Through detective-like research, she tracks down breaks, pitfalls, and ambiguities in a supposedly linear narrative. In 2012, she presented her two-part tapestry “Of What It Is, That It Is; Of What Is Not, That Is Not” at Documenta 13 in Kassel. In 2019, Macuga was commissioned to create a large-format tapestry for the Museum of Modern Art in New York, which, through a reference to a 1954 photograph by Andre Malraux, shows her inextricably linked to the museum's collection and collection history.

Goshka Macuga's works are included in prestigious collections around the world, including the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago; MoMA, New York City; The Broad Art Foundation, Los Angeles; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; Castello di Rivoli, Turin; Fondazione Prada, Milan; Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Turin; Fiorucci Art Trust, London; Saatchi Collection, London; Tate Modern, London; Pinault Collection, Paris; Kunsthalle Basel; Aishti Foundations, Beirut; Museum of Modern Art, Warsaw; Middelheim Museum, Antwerp; Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary Collection, Vienna; Sammlung Goetz, Munich; KAI 10 Arthena Foundation, Düsseldorf.