Maria Pinińska-Bereś

The GfZK presents Germany’s first major solo exhibition of Maria Pinińska-Bereś (1931-1999), a key figure in 20th-century Polish art. Her work spans sculptures, objects, installations, and performances, with a focus on femininity and the restrictions society imposes on it.

Alongside artists like Natalia LL and Ewa Partum, Pinińska-Bereś is considered a pioneer of feminist art in Poland. She critiqued the structural power of the State, the Church, and the art world itself. While her early works in the 1950s followed modernist traditions, she later embraced neo-avant-garde influences, using everyday materials like papier-mâché, wood, quilts, and aprons instead of cement or metal. From the 1960s, her work increasingly featured biomorphic forms and the colour pink—a symbol of traditional femininity. By reclaiming pink, Pinińska-Bereś challenged gender expectations and addressed personal and societal traumas.

Curated by Heike Munder and Jarosław Suchan, this retrospective is the first to bring Pinińska-Bereś’s work to an international audience. It revises art history by highlighting an overlooked female artist and the rich artistic landscape of 20th-century Eastern Europe, connecting her work to movements like Pop Art and Surrealism.