The International Festival of Performing Arts “Stories” was established in 2023 as part of the project “Stories. The World Is More Complex Than Our Truths About It”—an interdisciplinary artistic and educational initiative dedicated to contemporary visual arts, including performance art.

The project was developed in partnership by the Masovian Museum in Płock and the Kunstbanken Center for Contemporary Art in Hamar, Norway, under the patronage and artistic legacy of Franciszka and Stefan Themerson.

The reference to the Themersons stemmed both from the Masovian Museum’s long-term programme—which in 2021 opened the Themerson Gallery—and from the enduring relevance of the couple’s artistic ideas and achievements to contemporary art. The project was funded by the EEA Financial Mechanism 2014–2021 under the Culture Programme, as well as by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland.

In 2025, the Masovian Museum in Płock continued the idea of “Stories” by organising the second edition of the festival. The 2nd International Festival of Performing Arts “Stories” took place from 25 to 27 July 2025.

The festival featured performances by international artists, art installations, a platform dedicated to emerging artists, film screenings, and meetings with performers. Festival curator Małgorzata Sady invited both internationally recognised pioneers of performance art and emerging artists at the beginning of their careers. Participants included Ewa Zarzycka (Poland), Alastair MacLennan (Northern Ireland/Scotland), Hubert Zemler (Poland), Ralph Peters and Susanne Weins (Germany), as well as the Swiss artists Muda Mathis, Sus Zwick, Fränziska Madorin, Chris Regn, and Dorothea Rust.

The festival encouraged dialogue, posed important questions, and created a platform for encounter and mutual understanding. Its international character was reflected not only in the diverse backgrounds of the participating artists but also in the universal themes explored and the international audience it attracted.

The festival received support from the Gaude Polonia Scholarship Programme of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the National Centre for Culture, and the Foundation for Polish-German Cooperation.

In 2026, the Masovian Museum in Płock invites audiences to the 3rd International Festival of Performing Arts “Stories”, which will take place from 24 to 26 July. As in previous editions, the festival is held under the patronage and artistic legacy of Franciszka and Stefan Themerson.

The motto of this year’s edition is:

“To reach the source, one must swim against the current.”
(S.J. Lec, Unkempt Thoughts)

This idea reflects the role of art—and of the participating artists—as a space that operates according to its own principles within contemporary society. Art opens us to what is “other”: to values that are becoming increasingly rare in everyday life. To achieve genuine understanding or discover something truly meaningful, one must be willing to make an effort, challenge conventions, and follow one’s own path rather than simply drifting with the current of commonly accepted opinions.

The 3rd International Festival of Performing Arts “Stories”
24–26 July 2026
Masovian Museum in Płock, Poland

World-class performers, legends of contemporary art, and artists from fifteen countries will gather in Płock this summer. For three days, the city will become an international capital of performance art, welcoming creators from Poland, Switzerland, Cuba, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Slovakia, Bolivia, Ukraine, Senegal, Spain, the Netherlands, South Africa, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

The third edition of the “Stories” Festival will present works by some of the most exciting and respected figures in contemporary performance art.

Festival Highlights

Among the festival’s guests will be VestAndPage – the Italian-German duo of Verena Stenke and Andrea Pagnes, widely regarded as one of the leading formations in European performance art. Their works, presented around the world, combine intense bodily experience with reflections on memory, place, and social relationships. The artists will also lead a four-day workshop preceding the festival (20–23 July).

The programme will include a “Tribute to Valie Export”, dedicated to the Austrian avant-garde icon who passed away in May. Part of the project will take place in public space. “Monologues from Gaza” will be individually performed and read by participating artists.

Marcia Farquhar, an internationally acclaimed artist whose performances have taken place in museums and galleries as well as in everyday settings—from parks to private homes—will also come to Płock. She will be joined in the performance by her husband, Jem Finer.

Bolivian artist Giovanna Miralles will introduce audiences to a world inspired by Mayan ceremonies. Cuban-Belgian artist Lázara Rosell Albear will present a solo concert combined with video projection. Swiss performers will explore the artistic universe of Niki de Saint Phalle.

The Ukrainian collective GALAS (Vlad Gryn and Taras Gembik) will invite audiences to participate in a communal feast. Dutch artists Steef Kersbergen and Caro Ruoff will address the intimate experience of transition and identity. Natalia Zagórska-Thomas will create a long-duration participatory action as well as a separate performance.

International guests will also include Viktor Fucek (Slovakia), Sara Simeoni (Italy), and Mamadou Góo Bâ (Senegal), who will collaborate with composer and improvising pianist Andrzej Rejman on a unique interdisciplinary project. Simon Zagórski-Thomas (United Kingdom) will introduce audiences to his world of music and animation.

The 30-minute film How to Understand the World, produced by Louisiana Channel, will present one of the most important contemporary artists, William Kentridge of South Africa, through his own words and artistic practice. An installation by Renata Buziak (Australia), combining video and textile elements, will introduce visitors to her innovative photographic technique known as Biochrome.

On 26 July at 3:00 p.m. (CEST), as part of the 3rd International Performance Art Festival STORIES, the Masovian Museum in Płock will host the simultaneous screening of Expiry, alongside its UK premiere—a moving portrait of Britain’s oldest living performance artist, Ken Turner, reflecting on creativity, the passage of time, and the joy of growing older.

Outstanding Polish Artists

The Polish programme will feature Ewa Zarzycka, a legendary figure of Polish performance art, Grażyna Chmielewska, a renowned butoh dancer, and Ola Kozioł, known for her extraordinary voice.

Other participating artists include Urszula Ziemkiewicz, Jagoda Kwiatkowska, Kornelia Ciejka, Łukasz Horbów, Maciej Kryński, Agata Szuba, Michał Górski, and Julia Borowiecka.

The festival is not only a showcase of established artists and emerging creators selected through the open call. The programme also includes workshops, participatory projects, and actions developed together with local communities. Audiences will become not only spectators, but active co-creators of the event.

This year’s festival motto is:

“To reach the source, one must swim against the current.”
(S.J. Lec, Unkempt Thoughts)

All events are free of charge.

The full programme and further information about participating artists will be announced soon.

The festival is organized by the Masovian Museum in Płock in cooperation with the Themersons Płock Centre for Culture and Arts. Financial support is provided by the Self-Government of the Mazovian Voivodeship and the Foundation for Polish-German Cooperation.

Curator: Małgorzata Sady

Coordinators: Agnieszka Płocieniak-Kaniewska, Milena Kolibczyńska

Festival Spirit: Leonard Sobieraj, Director of the Masovian Museum in Płock