Maria Stangret (1929–2020) was a painter, actress and writer. Her artistic career can be viewed as taking a position in relation to 20th-century art, to the avant-garde theatre of her husband – Tadeusz Kantor, to the art world and to emancipation of women. There were discontinuities and breaks in her work on which she acutely commented: “I am not one of those artists who value consistence and regularity in their work, who must paint or, at least, correct something every day, otherwise the day would be wasted.”
The flat and studio were the two main places of hers. Then came the country house and hotel rooms. The flat and studio were united in her life into one space. As if stressing this union, the artist admitted: “I find it difficult to draw a dividing line between work and leisure.”
Remembered first of all as an eminent actress with the Cricot 2 Theatre, Stangret considered herself an artist, and she wrote in her free time. These separate trends in her creative work followed different paths and each required a place that was separate. As a painter she needed a studio of her own. As an actress she had to travel, to settle temporarily in various countries, on various continents. As a writer she was working on a novel – she wrote at home, between other activities. All her creative roles combined into one vibrant personality.
A Game of Places aims to discover the traces left by Maria Stangret in the places she called her own. They finally allow the artist to step out of the shadow and occupy a well-deserved position in our memory.
Tickets: PLN 25/20 zł, family PLN 50, group member PLN 15
