Eastern European folklore, ears of wheat, peasant barricades, agricultural machinery freed from slavery—all of this in Trafó’s black and neat theater hall. 

Iza Tarasewicz’s large-scale installation and Justyna Stasiowska’s soundscape truly take over the space: their work is both a celebration of rural life and communities, and a tribute to their strength and daily struggles.

On 18 September from 7.30 pm, sound artist Justyna Stasiowska will perform live on her multi-channel sound installation, giving a 40-minute concert as part of the focus’ opening event.
Her new sound piece, specially created for this occasion, is inspired by the (poly)rhythms of threshing and the interplay between the threshing floor and the theatre space. For Justyna, the threshing floor is an ‘empty space’ which – much like the theatre space in Peter Brook’s thinking – gains function and meaning through performative action. The sound performance will be followed by an opening speech and an artist talk. 

Iza Tarasewicz (1981) is an internationally recognized Polish visual artist who lives and works in Kolonia Koplany. Rooted in the agrarian traditions of the Podlaskie region and wider Eastern European folklore, her interdisciplinary practice spans sculpture, installation, drawing, and performance. She constructs her poetic installations—which engage with the materiality of the past while reflecting on the future—from parts of agricultural machinery and organic materials. She creates reconfigurable, modular constellations that function as flow systems for matter and energy, translating abstract diagrams and relational charts into tangible "figures of thought." These works combine raw functionalism with formal logics found in the natural world, agriculture, and scientific experimentation. Investigating the building of kinship in an era of hyper-individualism, she focuses on interdependence and solidarity—not only among people, but also with the more-than-human world.

Exhibited Artworks:
Iza Tarasewicz, Revelation of Powers, 2022, oxidized steel, various dimensions (32 pieces).
Iza Tarasewicz, Cluster of Contingencies IV, 2022, steel, various dimensions.
Iza Tarasewicz, Looped Processions V, 2022, oxidized steel, 500 × 800 × 150 cm, various dimensions of hanging.

In a historic milestone, in December 2026, Iza Tarasewicz will become the first female Polish artist to present a solo exhibition in the Ground Hall of the Vienna Secession. In 2027, she will participate in the prestigious Skulptur Projekte Münster in Germany. She has participated in numerous prestigious international biennials, including the 32nd Bienal de São Paulo (2016), the 11th Gwangju Biennale (2016), and the 40th EVA International – Ireland’s Biennial (2023). https://izatarasewicz.com/

Justyna Stasiowska (1987) is a lesbian silesian artist and theorist working through sound. Working in the field of sonic narration she focuses on notions of dramaturgy and design in different disciplines. Writes text and makes audio papers about performativity of sound perception. Creates installations and also works with choreographers, directors in fields of dance, theatre and film creating fakescapes in order to think how affective force of sound works in a medium.
https://jstasiowska.cargo.site/, https://soundcloud.com/justyna-stasiowska