Agnieszka Mastalerz in Rome. Serra Moresca Opens Its Doors to Contemporary Art for the First Time

“The Props Assist the House” – a solo exhibition by Agnieszka Mastalerz – is on view from 3 October at the Serra Moresca pavilion (part of the Villa Torlonia Museums) and at the Polish Institute in Rome. The exhibition opens a new chapter in the history of Serra Moresca, marking the pavilion’s first presentation of contemporary art. In her work, Mastalerz reflects on the mechanisms of control that shape the body and the relationships between individuals, communities, institutions, and the natural environment.

Agnieszka Mastalerz’s multimedia works explore bodies entangled in culture

Agnieszka Mastalerz is a visual artist whose practice centres primarily on minimalist video works that combine performance with scientific imaging techniques. Her work focuses on the relationship between humans and various systems of control and power. In the exhibition, Mastalerz draws on her established approach to explore how cultural norms, social structures, and biological processes intertwine, shaping our capacity for adaptation, discipline, and resistance.

The exhibition’s title, “The Props Assist the House”, refers to a poem by Emily Dickinson. The image of supports becomes a metaphor for the mechanisms – both visible and invisible – that shape our identity. Mastalerz also uses choreography as a language of its own, enabling movement between discipline and freedom, control and expression.

Mastalerz examines bodies as sensitive systems driven by mechanisms in which biological impulses and cultural constraints coexist. Choreography becomes a tool for visualising this duality, opening up a field of forces in which different critical perspectives intersect, including the training of the body, the crossing of physical boundaries, and the control of movement – says Gaia Bobò, the exhibition’s curator.

Two venues, two spaces for engaging with contemporary art

“The Props Assist the House” will be presented at two venues: the Serra Moresca pavilion and the Polish Institute in Rome. Visitors will be able to see the artist’s multimedia works, including videos, performances, and works created using scientific imaging techniques, from 3 October to 22 November 2026.

The presentation of Mastalerz’s work opens a new chapter in the history of Serra Moresca, a historic garden pavilion within the Villa Torlonia museum complex. The museum, renowned for its rich collection of Neoclassical works, twentieth-century paintings and sculptures, and Art Nouveau stained-glass windows, will open its doors to contemporary art for the first time.

Serra Moresca will host the film “Supports” (2021), which grew out of research into the steel structures used in gardening to guide plant growth. While these supports help plants to develop, they also determine their shape and direction of growth. Mastalerz interacts with three steel sculptures custom-made to fit her body. The performance becomes a reflection on the relationship between restriction and freedom of movement. The film also responds to Serra Moresca itself, exploring the relationship between nature and artifice, organic growth and technical control.

At the Polish Institute, visitors will be able to see “Nodes” (2024), which traces the botanical history of the orchid, from antiquity, when it was regarded as an aphrodisiac, to contemporary industrial production. Alongside it will be the video installation “Remainder” (2025), in which choreography becomes a means of reclaiming space and imagining alternative ways of inhabiting it. The exhibition will also feature a selection of works from the “Supports” series (2021–2026), which relate to the film presented at Serra Moresca.

The exhibition is organised by the Polish Institute in Rome in cooperation with the Adam Mickiewicz Institute and is co-funded by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland. The exhibition is held under the patronage of the Department of Culture of Roma Capitale.

“The Props Assist the House” – Practical information

• Location: Serra Moresca & Polish Institute in Rome, Rome

• Exhibition dates: 3 October – 22 November 2026

• Artist: Agnieszka Mastalerz

• Curator: Gaia Bobò

• Organisers: Polish Institute in Rome, Adam Mickiewicz Institute

• Main Partner: Perlage Arte Foundation

• Museum Logistics: Zètema Progetto Cultura

More information: https://instytutpolski.pl/roma/2026/08/27/the-props-assist-the-house/

Media contact:

Bartłomiej Jankowski
e-mail: [email protected]

+48 601 343 968

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