2026 – first news from the festival field
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.
Follow the festival and visit:
www.opowiesci-stories.pl
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
PROGRAM FESTIWALU / FESTIVAL PROGRAM
🔴 20–23/7
Spektralność performowana – warsztaty prowadzone przez VestAndPage
Performing the Spectral – VestAndPage workshop
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🔴 24/7 – PIĄTEK / FRIDAY
● Od/from 10.00 Renata Buziak Biochromy / Biochromes – instalacja / installation, Renata Buziak – wejście do art déco/ art deco entrace
● przez cały dzień / all day Natalia Zagórska-Thomas – Dynamiczny współczynnik układalności / Dynamic Drape Coefficient, performance z udziałem publiczności/ participatory performance– patio art déco
● Ola Kozioł – Gesty nie oporu / Gestures of Non-Resistance – obiekty / objects – korytarz / corridor
● 10.30–11.00 Irena Wiszniewska – Jak nie opowiedziałam historii królowej Maroka / How I Did Not Tell a Story to the Queen of Morocco – spotkanie autorskie / meet the writer –art nouveau patio
● 11.15–12.15 Łukasz Tomczak – Perkusyjna rzeźba dźwięku/Percussive Sound Sculpture – przestrzeń przed muzeum, ul. Tumska 8/the space in front of the museum, 8 Tumska Street
● 12.30–13.00 Agata Szuba, Julia Borowiecka – Korekty / Revisions – patio secesji/ art nouveau patio
● 13.15–13.45 Jagoda Kwiatkowska – Ciepłe słowa. Rzeźba szklana / Warm Words. Glass Sculpture – aula/ auditorium
● 14.00–14.30 Sara Simeoni – Zona d’ombra (Shadow Zone) / Strefa cienia, performance – sala edukacyjna/ educational space
━━━ PRZERWA / BREAK ━━━
🔴 17.00 OTWARCIE FESTIWALU / WELCOME TO THE FESTIVAL
● 17.30–18.15 Grażyna Chmielewska – Cisza i kwiaty / Silence and Flowers – taniec butoh / butoh dance – aula/ auditorium
● 18.30–19.15 Performing the Spectral– prezentacja warsztatów /OdVestAndPage workshop presentation – patio art déco
● 19.30–20.00 Simon Zagórski-Thomas – Próbując przypomnieć sobie, co się wydarzyło / Trying to Remember What Happened – performance z udziałem publiczności / participatory performance, aula/ auditorium
● 20.15–21.00 Giovanna Miralles – Kiedy noc się kończy, reinterpretacja świętej ceremonii Majów / When the Night Ends- reinterpretation of the sacred Mayan ceremony – patio secesji/ art nouveau patio
● Od/From 21.00 – Spotkajmy się/ Meet the Artist
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🔴 25/7 – SOBOTA / SATURDAY
● Od/from 10.00 Renata Buziak Biochromy / Biochromes – instalacja / installation, Renata Buziak – wejście do art déco/ art deco entrance
● Cały dzień/ All day Natalia Zagórska-Thomas – Dynamiczny współczynnik układalności / Dynamic Drape Coefficient , performance z udziałem publiczności/ participatory performance – patio art déco
● Ola Kozioł – Gesty nie oporu / Gestures of Non-Resistance – obiekty / objects – korytarz / corridor
● 9.30–11.00 Ula Zienkiewicz – Wieczorna rutyna / Evening routine – performance – patio secesji/ art novueau patio
● Jednocześnie 10-11.45 GALAS (Taras Gembik, Vlad Gryn) – Obrus / Tablecloth – warsztat / participatory event, na zewnątrz budynku/outdoors
● 12.00 – 13.15 – Piotr Pawlak – Chopin – recital fortepianowy / piano recital – aula/ auditorium
● 13.30- 14.00 Making Sense of the World / Jak rozumieć świat – film dokumentalny o Williamie Kentridge’u / documentary film about William Kentridge’a – aula/auditorium/ auditorium
● 14.15 – 14.45 Viktor Fucek – Architektura wewnętrznych relacji / The Architecture of Internal Relationships – patio secesji/ art novueau patio
● 15.00–15. M10ichał Górski – Pan Talonowanie, performance– aula/ auditorium
━━━ PRZERWA / BREAK ━━━
● 17.00–17.45 VestAndPage – Nowe monologi z Gazy / New Gaza Monologues, performans intymny/1:1 performance – sala edukacyjna/ educational space
● 18.00–18.20 Ewa Zarzycka – Performance mówiony / Spoken Performance – mała sala wystawowa/ small exhibition hall
● 18.35–19.00 Andrea Saemann – Powstające archiwum / Archive in Process – performance, sala edukacyjna/ educational space
● 19.25–19.45 Natalia Zagórska-Thomas – Aerodynamika dla początkujących / Aerodynamics for Beginners, performance – aula/ auditorium
● 20.00–20.45.15 Lazara Rosell Albear – Unsurrounded / Nieotoczony – koncert performatywny / performative concert – aula/ auditorium
● Po koncercie : Meet the Artist
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🔴 26/7 – NIEDZIELA / SUNDAY
● Od/from 10.00 Renata Buziak Biochromy / Biochromes – instalacja / installation, Renata Buziak – wejście do art déco/ art deco entrance
● Przez cały dzień/ All Day Natalia Zagórska-Thomas – Dynamiczny współczynnik układalności / Dynamic Drape Coefficient – patio art déco, performance z udziałem publiczności/ participatory performance
● Ola Kozioł – Gesty nie oporu / Gestures of Non-Resistance – obiekty / objects – korytarz / corridor
● 10.00–10.45 Ola Kozioł – Świętowanie zwykłego dnia / Celebration of an Ordinary Day – działanie z udziałem publiczności / participatory action – przestrzeń miejska / outdoor space
● 11.00–11.30 Konfiguracje ciała / Body Configurations. Hołd złożony VALIE EXPORT / Tribute to VALIE EXPORT – przestrzeń miejska / outdoor space
● 11.30–12.15 Steef Kersbergen & Caro Ruoff – To, co zostało do zrobienia / All There Is Left to Do, performance – sala edukacyjna/ educational space
● 12.30–12.50 Łukasz Horbów / Maciej Krynski – Wynoszenie brudów z domu / Taking the Dirty Things Out of the House, performance – różne przestrzenie / various spaces
━━━ PRZERWA / BREAK ━━━
● 15.00–16.00 Ken Turner at 100/ Ken Truner kończy sto lat, Expiry, film, reżyseria/ directed by Huw Wahl – aula/ auditorium
● 16.15–16.30 Chris Regn – Ooh Niki – performance – aula/ auditorium
● 16.40- 17.35 Mariusz Pogonowski & co – .Nowa idea/ The New Idea – różne przestrzenie muzeum / various museum spaces
● 17.45- 19.45 Marcia Farquhar & Jem Finer – Cyclical Serendipity / Powtarzający się szczęśliwy przypadek – sala edukacyjna/ educational space
● Od 20.00 – Mamadou Goo Ba & Andrzej Rejman – Inicjacje / Initiations – improwizowany performance, ceremonia artystyczna, akt twórczy w czasie rzeczywistym / improvised performance, artistic ceremony, creative act in real time – aula/ auditorium
🔴 and SPOTKANIE NA DO WIDZENIA / FAREWELL GATHERING – uczta na obrusie stworzonym na warsztatach kolektywu GALAS
