Ceija Stojka's Romani Holocaust Testimonies at the Drawing Center
The Drawing Center in New York presents "Ceija Stojka: Making Visible," a survey of over 50 paintings and drawings by the late Austrian Romani artist. Stojka (1933–2013), a child survivor of the Holocaust, documented her experiences across Auschwitz, Ravensbrück, and Bergen-Belsen, as well as the richness of Romani life. Her self-taught practice spans poetry, painting, writing, performance, and music. The exhibition, curated by Lynne Cooke with Noelig Le Roux, runs through June 7. Stojka became the first Romani-Austrian woman to publicly recount her Holocaust survival in the late 1980s. Her work uses thick brushstrokes and symbolic imagery—wagons, trees, lakes—to convey both trauma and freedom. Roma scholar Cristiana Grigore served as consultant. Stojka began painting late in life, inspired by her grandchildren.
Key facts
- Ceija Stojka was born in 1933 into a Lovara family in Austria.
- She survived Auschwitz, Ravensbrück, and Bergen-Belsen as a child.
- Her father was arrested in 1941 and murdered at Dachau.
- Stojka became the first Romani-Austrian woman to publish her Holocaust testimony in the late 1980s.
- The exhibition at the Drawing Center features over 50 works and runs through June 7.
- The show is curated by Lynne Cooke with Noelig Le Roux.
- Cristiana Grigore, a Roma writer and scholar, was a consultant for the exhibition.
- Stojka began painting in her later years while spending time with her grandchildren.
Entities
Artists
- Ceija Stojka
- George Grosz
- Quentin Blake
Institutions
- Drawing Center
- Artists Rights Society (ARS)
- Bildrecht, Vienna
- The Drawing Center
- Bildrecht
- Wien Museum
Locations
- New York
- Austria
- Dachau
- Auschwitz
- Ravensbrück
- Bergen-Belsen
- Lake Neusiedel
- Austria and Hungary border
- Soho, Manhattan
- 35 Wooster Street
- Vienna