Filipka Rutkowska's 'The Iron Lipstick' Queers Thatcher at Berlin Art Week

During Berlin Art Week Featured 2026, Polish artist Filipka Rutkowska will present 'The Iron Lipstick,' a performance blending spoken word and choreography that reimagines Margaret Thatcher as a queer spectre. The work, inspired by Damian Barr's memoir 'Maggie and Me,' deconstructs Thatcher's iconic speeches to advocate for the abolition of gender, envisioning a genderless society. By treating Thatcher as a costume to be destabilized and re-performed, Rutkowska recasts domination as drag and dismantles power through performance. The piece incorporates a replica of Thatcher's costume, recently shown at a Christie's auction. Rutkowska, known for using her own identity as an artistic medium, explores otherness across performance, film, theater, and literature, addressing complex social and emotional topics with humor. Her practice bridges critical art and queer performance, two currents that have shaped contemporary Polish art. The event is free, conducted in English, lasts 50 minutes, with doors opening at 18:30 and the performance starting at 19:00. It is part of Berlin Art Week Featured 2026.