Silvia Ziranek BY A THREAD incorporating UNSUNG SONGS

MOCA London presents new work by Silvia Ziranek, a well-established multi-media artist with a strong performance art focus. She has performed across the UK, Europe, the Americas, Australia and New Zealand, including at the Venice Biennale; Tates Modern and Britain; Georges Pompidou Centre, Paris; Modern Art Oxford and Plug-In, Winnipeg.

Trigger Warning: BY A THREAD and UNSUNG SONGS contain allusions to physical and emotional abuse.

BY A THREAD is a monumental mobile (over 10’ diameter) suspended from the gallery
ceiling, making ingenious use of everyday materials, combining text with textiles (carpet
tiles, wallpaper, picture frames). BY A THREAD contains textile panels containing single
words and phrases taken from UNSUNG SONGS, a collection of the artist’s poems; a
wall text ‘THE MY SCAR’; and an audio recording of the 16 SONGS which play
continuously.

Through poetry, text-in-textiles, and installation Silvia Ziranek addresses violent,
abusive behaviour towards women and girls and focuses on offering strength through
solidarity and acknowledging others’ experiences by finding words and ways of
opposing emotional and physical abuse. Derived from personal experience Ziranek’s
poems, always spoken – never sung – address vulnerability, aggressive male hierarchy
and emotional un/intelligence. Ziranek hopes to empower women and girls by creating a
provocative arena for contemplation.

At the launch of BY A THREAD and the first ever public reading of UNSUNG SONGS at
Moca 31/5/26 Ziranek appeared in an extraordinary outfit: a skirt of acid pink with
musical motifs over a swirling shift of (mainly red) Beijing Olympics 2008 fabric, topped
by ‘millinery’ (some might say oversized pink lampshade) festooned with many shiny
CDs and flapping coloured hair curlers. “I don’t hate men” she said, “this work is not
against men, it is against abuse.” Then the poetry: “VERY POWERFUL” “MOVING”
“REMARKABLE” VERY SPECIAL” “HEARTSTOPPING POETRY” are some reactions.

The London installation travels to The House of Smalls, Edinburgh, launching on
November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women,
which nationally addresses violence against women and girls. It also aims to engage
perpetrators to unlearn aggressive traits. www.thehouseofsmalls.com @thehouseofsmalls

Ziranek has been featured in numerous artists’ publications including VERY FOOD (London: Book Works), Recipe for Artists’ Cook Book (Berlin: Druckwerkstatt),  ‘PINK SHOES ARE BETTER’ in Raised Awareness (A portfolio publication: Tate) and the timeless I ARE OR, the illustrated publication for Ziranek’s performance in the Imperial War Museum’s Camouflage programme. It is no surprise to those who know her that Ziranek’s favourite colour is pink.

Free

MOCA is open Thursday and Friday 2-6pm and Saturday 12-4pm

Closing event Sunday 5 July 2026 2 – 4 pm, Performance reading 3.15 pm