Pošasti so ljudje, razstavni katalog

POŠASTI SO LJUDJE ”All monsters are human."

(Sestra Jude Martin, American Horror Story)

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”All monsters are human."

(Sestra Jude Martin, American Horror Story)

POŠASTI SO LJUDJE 11. 3.–22. 4. 2022 Mirsad Begić, Goran Bertok, Saša Bezjak, Andrej Brumen Čop, Matej Čepin, Tina Dobrajc, Mito Gegič, Milan Golob, Natalija Šeruga Golob, Zdenko Huzjan, Marko Jakše, Janez Kardelj in Mateja Kavčič Kuratorka: Nina Jeza - Artists&Poor’s

POsASTI SO LJUDJE Sodobna družba se, kar zveni neverjetno, še v 21. stoletju sooča z idiosinkrazijo stereotipov: LGBT aktivizem, avtizem, migrantski in begunski valovi, fetišizem, zasvojenosti, teorije zarote in manična psihofizična stanja (depresija ali anksioznost) so le nekateri izmed njih. Še danes nismo storili razumskega koraka proti bolj odprti družbi, ki bi stereotipe zamenjala z znanstvenimi dokazi: v resnici smo v obdobju pandemije več kot očitno zabredli v siva močvirja intelektualnega kvaziprestiža družbenih omrežij, s pomočjo katerih so moderni spletni geniji pograbili priložnost za predstavitev lastnih homeopatskih in newageevskih idej. Sodobne pošasti za pranje možganov so nadomestile psihopate, institucionalizirane norce in nadomestne morilce ter s pomočjo socialnih mrež in dostopnostjo vsakovrstnih informacij docela zabrisale mejo med znanostjo, dejstvi ter fikcijo.

Tako se tudi filozof in pisatelj Umberto Eco v knjigi Zgodovina grdega ob slikah, ki danes veljajo za velike mojstrovine, sprašuje, ali so nemara grde zato, ker upodabljajo greh in zlo. Danes ponovno izredno aktualna Picassova Guernica uprizarja grozote vojne, krike, bombe in reprezentira smrt na način, da ob sliki človek, ki je preživel (ali ravnokar doživlja) strahote vojne, zagotovo začuti grozo svoje izkušnje. Ali je zato Guernica grda slika ali slika grdega? Kaj pa denimo Rembrandtova Lekcija anatomije doktorja Tulpa ali nemara Caravaggieva ali Rubensova Meduza?

Vse od antike do danes številna vizualna dela upodabljajo zlo, vojne, Hades, v katerem Saturn žre lastne otroke, Tantal skuha sina, Agamemnon žrtvuje hčer, tu so dela, ki upodabljajo očetomor ali zahrbten bratomor Kajna, v novozavezni mitologiji pa seveda ne moremo mimo upodobitev trpečega Kristusa. Gre skratka za svet, v katerem umetniška sublimnost in lepota upodobitve simbolizirata »grda« ali »grozna« dejanja.

V slovenski umetnosti najdemo motiviko srhljivega predvsem pri umetnikih, ki so delovali med 1. in 2. svetovno vojno.

Morda omenimo le tri najbolj prepoznavne: to sta bila fantastični France Mihelič (1907–1998) in njegov kolega Zoran Mušič (1909–2005), pa recimo Jože Tisnikar (1928–1998). Vsem trem je skupno to, da so znali na direkten, a prefinjen način upodobiti tisto, česar nas je groza: temo, strah in smrt. Uncheimlich, kakor je to poimenoval Freud, torej tisto, kar nas zato, ker deluje srhljivo in nedomačno, celo nečloveško, navdaja z nemirom.

Ker pa živimo v svetu, kjer grotesknost vnovič prihaja do izraza, kjer se po dveletnem spopadu s pandemijo soočamo z eno najresnejših kriz evropskega obstoja in nad nami namesto ptičev letajo vojaška letala, smo se odločili, da je čas poiskati motiviko »srhljivega« tudi med aktualnimi slovenskimi umetniki. Razstava tako temelji na predstavitvah absurda, hororja, groze in obče grotesknosti skozi umetniški pogled kreacije – izbrana dela nas nevsiljivo popeljejo skozi svet pošasti, prikazni, demonov in »frikov« ter z nami delijo občutke neke abstraktne, a zato nič manj resnične nočne more, ki nas spremlja v vsakdanjem življenju: včeraj kovid, danes vojna, kaj nas čaka jutri?

Na kuratorski razstavi, naslovljeni Pošasti so ljudje, je simbolično izbranih 13 delujočih slovenskih umetnic in umetnikov različnih generacij in umetniških stilov, vsi navdih črpajo iz svojega življenjskega in delovnega okolja. Glede na razstavljene umetnine lahko zagotovo govorimo o pretresljivih individualnih izkušnjah, preslikanih v čudoviti svet artističnega izraza, kjer gre za ujemljivost tistega, kar je v resnici nedosegljivo, a vendarle tako zelo blizu, tako zelo globoko. Smisel upodabljanja »groznega« je v tem, da vsaj za kratek čas ubežimo realnemu, se potopimo v imaginarno in skušamo simbolno razumeti na način nujnosti: kot nekaj, kar nas obdaja in navdaja, čemur ne moremo ubežati – lahko pa to s pomočjo umetnosti izrazimo, pustimo, da se nas dotakne in nemara prebudi željo po neki drugačni prihodnosti. V tem je tudi pomen naslova razstave: strah, ki je okoli votel, znotraj ga pa ni, izvira iz človekove lastne izkušnje, njegovega razumevanja tistega, kar ga plaši in navdaja z grozo. Grozljivost ne temelji na razumskem dojemu, temveč je zmeraj odvisna od emocionalnega odziva. Povedano drugače: strah ni racionalna ali empirična domena, temveč občutek, ki izvira iz notrine človekove biti, ustvarjen in namenjen njemu samemu. Da so pošasti v resnici ljudje, vidimo pravzaprav že iz zgodovine kaznovanja kot takega, saj se še ni zgodilo, da bi za gnusna dejanja na sodiščih obsojali mitološka bitja. Pošasti niso pošasti, saj te obstajajo izključno v domišljiji. Pošasti so realna bitja, pošasti – bodimo pošteni – s(m)o »le« ljudje.

Umetnik Zdenko Huzjan se skozi svoje številne slikarske opuse prebija z metafizično vsebino in eksistenco. Spomin iz otroštva, ko so otroci med igro našli zakopano človeško lobanjo, je umetnika zaznamoval skozi vse slikarsko ustvarjanje, saj dogodek vzbudi v umetniku na eni strani ljubezen do arheologije, na drugi pa tudi do poezije. Njegovi liki so arhaično-poetični, slikani z zemeljskimi toni in nekako zabrisani kakor z meglo, prav zato delujejo še bolj nenavadno, skrivnostno in tudi srhljivo. Tokrat se predstavlja s petimi slikami iz obsežnejšega cikla Vzglavniki Zemlje in Neba (1998−99), v katerem se ukvarja z medprostorom med Zemljo in nebom, hkrati pa gre tudi za umetniško simboliko slikarstva na prelomu stoletja, ko slika postane »mrtva«, figuralika se s tem znajde v težavah, zato pa – kar je pravzaprav značilno za prelome stoletij – prebudi neko »novo umetnost«. Umetnik s slikami na vzglavnik, ki je v resnici grundirano platno, napeto na podokvir, ki ga prekriva pena, ustvarja občutek mehke blazine. S tem pridobi najprej mehkobo slike same, a tudi njegova figura spremeni pozicijo, saj se iz sredine prestavi na rob slike ter tako obvisi oziroma lebdi v brezprostorskosti. Vse je mehkobno, puhasto, ustvarjeno s pomočjo blazinic in prepojeno z voskom. Gre za neke vrste risanja površine epiderma našega telesa, preložene v arhaično-antropomorfne figure, s čimer slike postanejo »zgolj« risbe ali sledi le-teh. Podobe so umeščene med biti in ne-biti, med življenje in minevanje: opazovalci tako rekoč obvisimo med Zemljo in nebom ter se ujamemo v brezprostorskost.

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»All monsters are human

(Sestra Jude Martin, American Horror Story)

Zelo podobno vsebino srečamo tudi pri Mirsadu Begiču, ki najbolj uživa v raziskovanju in upodabljanju staroveških, predvsem egiptovskih kultur, zanimajo pa ga tudi stare ameriške civilizacije, kot denimo Inki ali Azteki, ter tako deluje v dejanskem sožitju umetnosti, prostora in časa. Begič je bosansko-slovenski kipar, sicer znan po številnih javnih spomenikih in portretih. Že dolga leta, natančneje od leta 1999 dalje, razvija serijo z naslovom Veliki čuvaj, v kateri uporablja mehkejše materiale, kot so vrvi, papir, les, tudi vosek. Predstavlja se z risbo oziroma kolažem, ki je pravzaprav relief, saj vidimo dejanske kosti in razpadajoče naravne ter umetne, predvsem pa mehke materiale, ki nosijo Begičevo simbolično vsebino minljivosti, hkrati pa nas opozarjajo na večnost. Vkomponirane so razpadajoče kokošje kosti, prepletene s polivinilom, obenem pa gre za abstrakcijo, ki je predvsem zaradi prepoznavnih kosti malce strah vzbujajoča. Kompozicijska nadgradnja umetnine je izražena v njeni monumentalnosti, uporabljene barve so monotone: z antropomorfno linijo in reliefno izvedbo asociira na cikličnost rojstva in smrti, ki Begiču pomeni ujetost v utesnjujočo nezmožnost večnega obstoja in s tem nujno obsodbo, s katero človeška (in druga) živa bitja pravzaprav že takoj po rojstvu postanemo fosili.

Marko Jakše – letošnji predstavnik Slovenije na beneškem bienalu – je mistično-fantastični umetnik, katerega slike so polne fantazij, pravljic in podob, ki najprej delujejo grozljivo, takoj nato pa tudi izrazito lepo. Za Jakšeta gotovo velja, da slika povsem samosvoj mistični svet in z njim razpira nezavedno, do katerega se je treba dokopati s predanostjo, zavzetostjo in predvsem lastnoročno. Gledalec lahko le občuduje umetnikovo domišljijo, ki ji ni videti meja. Nenavadne figure so hibridne, nekoliko antropomorfne, skrivnostne ali preprosto srhljive. Jakšetov nadrealizem sloni na sanjskem svetu, prežetem s prividi in spačenimi podobami, ki vsakič znova reprezentirajo globoko premišljene zgodbe, morda bi jim lahko rekli celo prilike. Ob njegovih slikah začutimo tudi vznemirljivo nelagodje. Jakšetov Pesnik Kranjske in doline šentflorjanske ne potrebuje nobenega opisa, saj z eno podobo pove vse: verjetno je to sicer umetnikov avtoportret, opazimo pa lahko tudi človeško lobanjo z ribjo čepico na glavi. Riba je simbol krščanstva in s tem Jezusa Kristusa, simbolizira pa vero, povezano z rojstvom, medtem ko ima v ikonografiji indoevropskih ljudstev pomen plodnosti in modrosti. V ospredju je jabolko, za katero vemo, da je bilo zmeraj ikonografsko uporabljeno kot sadež spora, prepovedani sad, ki ga Jakše upodobi docela obdanega z ostrimi konicami, da nas kar zabodejo v oči in posledično tudi v srce.

Naslednji je Jakšetov slikarski kolega Janez Kardelj, s katerim si delita isto mentorico – Metko Krašovec. Kardeljev umetniški pristop je sicer povsem drugačen, rekli bi slikarsko-konceptualen. Oba umetnika v delih sporočata določeno moralno in etično vsebino, podkrepljeno s sociološko ali filozofsko tematiko, obema je skupno tudi to, da sta primarno figuralika. S sliko, naslovljeno Protinravno svinjstvo z Jewellianom, nam umetnik sporoča naslednje: »Artefakt je nastal v času, ko je britanska policija ugrabila Juliana Assangea iz političnega azila, ki ga je imel na ekvadorski ambasadi v Londonu, in ga zaprla v najstrožje varovan zapor Belmarsh v Londonu. Ta slika je od maja leta 2019 simbolno delila Assangeevo usodo. Bila je zaprta na treh različnih lokacijah, nazadnje v neki kleti v Ljubljani. Njena izolacija se sedaj prekine. Kot lastnik in avtor sem se odločil, da bo na razstavi Pošasti so ljudje v Mestni galeriji Nova Gorica original in ne reprodukcija. Slika spet prevzema svoje sistemske funkcije. Je razstavni eksponat, blago, lastnina, estetski predmet, predmet fascinacije ali iritacije. Artefakt je pomembnejši kot konceptualna doslednost. Obremenjujoči vpliv, ki ga ima, je nujnejši kot teorija.« Slikarski opus Andreja Brumna Čopa obsega več različnih tem, izstopajo pa dela, prežeta z osebno tematiko, kot je boleča izkušnja odraščanja v omejujočem okolju, ki še danes na istospolno usmerjenost gleda precej od strani. Motivika mrčesa – podobno kot motivika homoseksualnosti – opozarja na odnos družbe do nečesa, kar le-ta pojmuje kot nadležno, obskurno in ogrožajoče. Kritičen pogled na aktualne probleme manjšine in stiske posameznika slikar podaja bodisi subtilno občuteno bodisi dramatično brutalno. Čop nikoli ne slika po opazovanju, temveč njegovi motivi navadno vznikajo iz nezavednega in iz spomina; najpomembnejša je melodija barv, forma pa se pravzaprav oblikuje sama: gre pravzaprav za terapijo, meditacijo in predvsem spoznavanje samega sebe. Nosce te ipsum je bil napis nad vrati Apolonovega templja v Delfih, ki je ob vhodu pozdravil obiskovalce, sposodili so si ga tudi številni grški filozofi, denimo Sokrat in Platon, da bi s tem poudarili pomen nekega višjega, starodavnega reda, ki nadvladuje individualizem in ga s pomočjo racionalnega zora drži znotraj občestva. Čopu je poleg barve izrazito pomembna tudi svetloba. Razstavljena slika Šola hoje je pravzaprav hommage Gabrielu Stupici. Upodobljena črna smrt, ki vodi otročička, obdanega s čebelami, tako ponovno vzpostavlja simboliko insektov, stalnih spremljevalcev Čopovih slik, s čimer ga smemo okarakterizirati kot slikarja mističnega.

Milan Golob je zaključil študij slikarstva pod mentorstvom profesorice in slikarke Metke Krašovec. Umetnik pristopa k slikarstvu na konceptualen način. Slike naslavlja po nagrobnikih, ki jih najde na svojih popotovanjih po srednji Evropi.

Pravi, da se rad sprehaja po starih pokopališčih, saj da človeka tam nujno zaobjame poseben občutek, ki je za nekoga lahko zastrašujoč in žalosten, za drugega pa so pokopališča mesta svetosti in spokojnosti. Njegov slikarski opus šteje zelo veliko enakih kvadratnih formatov manjših dimenzij. Ta projekt je pričel leta 2002 in v okviru njega vsako leto poslika med 40 in 100 deli. Njegova podoba je abstraktna, vendar zelo premišljeno naslikana; na prvi pogled slike delujejo podobno, a se med seboj barvno in tudi pozicijsko zelo razlikujejo. Golobov slikarski pristop je teoretskomističen, saj mora po umetnikovem mnenju slikarstvo korespondirati z vesoljnim duhom, zunaj realnega časa in v njem.

Za tokratno razstavo sta izbrani dve slikarski deli, naslovljeni v skladu z zgoraj povedanim, Zmago Jeraj (1937–2015) ter Amelie Neresheimer (1850–1924), dodan je še videoposnetek z glasom umetnika, ki bere imena umrlih.

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Natalija Šeruga Golob prav tako sodi med umetnice, ki jih navdihujejo ali nagovarjajo srhljive zgodbe. Tokrat predstavlja opus slik iz serije Zbirka W. B. V njej so portreti otrok in razglednice, namenjene W. B., z dodanimi upodobljenimi konjički, ki so na videz naključno nametani po tleh ob lesenem otroškem konjičku. Ideja za sliko izhaja iz atmosfere, v kateri deluje; občutek, ki ga želi doseči ali uloviti v umetniškem delu, je kreiranje drugega sveta, občutek minulega in starajočega se ter s tem osmišljanja zmeraj novega začetka. Vizija prihaja iz notrine in se razvija z vsakim naslednjim materialnim posegom v sliko. Notranji koncept je vodilna sila pri vizualnih odločitvah, ki sledijo uporabljenim materialom.

Natalijini motivi so silhuete ljudi in krajine, ki so temačne, delujejo pravzaprav neogotsko in so kakor vibracija osebe v slikarskem izrazu. Motive slik nadgradi še z nenavadnimi okvirji, s čimer slika pridobi mehkobo in prosojnost, kar tudi pogojuje grozljivo mistiko. S tovrstnim nosilcem umetnica še dodatno vzbuja asociacije na staro, pradavno, arhaično, zato skozi srednjeveško mistiko delujejo nekoliko demonsko. Njeno vsebinsko izhodišče je po navadi misteriozna življenjska zgodba, saj je, kot pravi Šerugova, slika popolna beseda. Likovno se umetnica naslanja na subtilnost, navdano z mističnim in skrivnostnim vzdušjem, v katerem se prepletajo misli o življenju in smrti ter o minljivosti in krhkosti lepote sveta.

Saša Bezjak ima nekoliko drugačen, predvsem zelo neposreden umetniški pristop do problematike medosebnih odnosov. Poudarek je na erotiki in intimi, ki ju upodablja skozi kreativni proces razvoja prvinske oziroma primitivistične risbe, ki sicer deluje, kakor da bi jo naslikal otrok: podobe so izražene skozi kroki, torej linijo in črto, izdelano ad hoc, tukaj in zdaj, v eni popolni potezi. A prav zato njene risbe učinkujejo kot dokončana umetniška dela; izžarevajo primarno otroško nedolžnost in hkrati vzbujajo občutek, da ne potrebujejo dodatne razlage, saj so direktne, fauvistične in prepričljive. Na razstavi je risba v mešani tehniki oglja in akrila, naslikana v velikem formatu in naslovljena Groza, v njej gledalec nedvoumno – vsej naturalistični prvinskosti in tehniki navkljub – doživi močan čustveni naboj, revolucijo emocij, krik, ki se nezadržno širi onkraj površine upodobljene linijske risbe. Dela Saše Bezjak zaznavajo življenje kot dekadentno: čutimo poželenje, dojemamo žalost, iščemo strast, želimo ljubezen, doživljamo trpljenje.

Goran Bartok se izraža v fotografskem mediju. Pravi, da noče biti fotograf, ki zgolj ujame in s tem posname neki motiv, temveč se fotografske tehnike loteva veliko bolj »slikarsko«, saj podobe računalniško obdela, torej podobno kot slikar s čopičem, le da fotograf uporabi pač drugo orodje. Bartokove fotografije so resda morbidne, vendar nas prevzamejo s hladno lepoto, ki jo izžarevajo. Umetnik pravi, da ga fotografija pravzaprav ne zanima: zanimajo ga izključno motivi, pa še to izrazito določeni, do katerih, kot pove, se skuša prebiti že leta. Gotovo Bertok trenutno velja za enega najbolj provokativnih slovenskih fotografov, predvsem z motivi nekonvencionalnih spolnih praks, zlasti s področja sadomazohizma. Posveča se še radikalnejšemu raziskovanju telesnosti, vse tja do njene ultimativne teme, torej motivike smrti, in sicer tako na način neposrednega vizualnega soočenja z razpadajočimi telesi ali pa portretiranja tistih, ki so neposredno bližino smrti doživeli sami. Na razstavi sta dve fotografiji iz serije Lakota, ki uprizarjata morečo degeneriranost ohromljenega telesa.

Nasprotje omenjenima fotografijama je slika Karneval avtorja Mita Gegiča, ki upodablja krutost prekomernega klanja svinj za prehrambene potrebe človeka. Gegič sam sebi (in s tem seveda tudi nam kot opazovalcem) zastavlja ponavljajoče se vprašanje: kako je mogoče, da v 21. stoletju, ob vsem preobilju in zavestnem zametavanju hrane, na svetu še vedno obstaja lakota? Zakaj ubijamo toliko živali in na tako neprimeren način, če jih navsezadnje ne moremo niti pojesti? Umetnik do izbire motiva gotovo ni prišel naključno, temveč predvsem distrofično: je vegetarijanec, povrhu pa izhaja iz tradicionalne lovske družine. Zavestno se je torej odpovedal mesu in mesnim izdelkom, a ne zaradi lastnih »lovskih« korenin, ki jih odkrito spoštuje, ker je ne nazadnje njegovo slikarstvo prežeto z lovsko motiviko. Zanimiv je njegov slikarski pristop, saj podobe, ki jih črpa tudi s svetovnega spleta ali celo iz nadzornih kamer, natisne, slikarsko obdela in nato v razrezanih trakovih zalepi na platno. Rekli bi, da njegova likovna podoba s tem prevzema pravzaprav »digitalno« naravo, saj se prav z dodatkom natisnjenih spletnih podob, ki ždijo tako rekoč pod površino, giblje na meji hibridnega.

Umetnica Tina Dobrajc se osredotoča na raziskovanje vloge ženske nekoč in danes, jo spretno prepleta s simboliko ženske emancipacije ter privzgojene tradicije, hkrati pa opozarja na dediščino socializacije in historično zapostavljanje vloge žensk. Njene upodobljene deklice so prisrčne, hkrati pa srhljive. Delujejo kot nekakšne ljubke čarovnice, ki nas na eni strani s prikupnostjo vabijo, sočasno pa ob njenih podobah začutimo notrino grozljive realnosti. Slika »Everyone Isn't Bad, Mama!« je hommage romanu Stephena Kinga Carrie, dobro znani klasiki o 16-letni Carrie White, ki je povsem pod vplivom svoje krščanskofundamentalistične mame, medtem ko jo druga dekleta v šoli brutalno zasmehujejo ter nadlegujejo zaradi njene naivnosti in grdega videza, kar nazadnje privede do katastrofe. Srhljiva gozdna pokrajina in naslikane podobe mladih deklet in fantov, ki so oblečeni v srhljive maškare ter obdani z divjimi živalmi, mora v gledalcu sprva prebuditi nelagodje. Obenem nas monumentalnost umetnine ugrabi in z grotesknimi, v temino noči skritimi obrazi, ki reprezentirajo epske razsežnosti modernih mitov pripovednice Tine Dobrajc, pogoltne. Naslov slike zgolj potrdi njeno strašljivo vsebino, medtem ko precizno izbrana barvna paleta v igri močnih barvnih kontrastov povzroči, da morbidnost mizanscene zakriči še glasneje. Tina Dobrajc predstavlja reinterpretacijo klasičnih vsebin z dodatkom osebnega komentarja, s čimer vzpostavlja lastno umetniško stališče glede na posamezno izraženo temo.

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Matej Čepin je še eden izmed umetnikov mlajše generacije. Je samouk, navdušen nad klasično umetnostjo in hkrati neobremenjen z umetniškimi stili. Umetnik izkazuje prepoznavno samosvojost in jo nadgrajuje v obstoječo realnost. Čepinovi opusi razkrivajo čudovite krajine z zbujajočimi podobami, ki poudarjajo antisocializacijsko morbidnost moderne družbe ter splošno izkrivljenost in popačenost iluzije realnosti. Upodobljeni Pennywise spodbuja mističnost, freudovski uncheimlich, torej nelagodje in tesnobo. Gre za obče prepoznavni simbol klovnovske fobije Stephena Kinga, ki nas onkraj postapokaliptičnega ekscesa srhljive ugotovitve Good day today sili k razmisleku neke druge, globlje, pomenljivejše in tudi srhljive stvarnosti. Matej je filmofil, strasten ljubitelj srhljivk Hitchcocka, Lyncha in Cronenberga ter literature Franza Kafke. Je klasični »voajer«, ki ostaja v grotesknosti: večina njegovih slik vzbuja nelagodje, grozo, celo strah; gre predvsem za vzbujanje občutka, ki ga umetnik dodatno poudarja z velikimi formati del ter z »materialnostjo« pokrajine in realistično figuro dosega želeni efekt – ko stopimo pred umetnino, ne gledamo mi nje, temveč postanemo opazovani mi sami. Resnica ostaja skrita očem, vsakršno mnenje je izključno subjektivno: zdi se, da klovn samo čaka, da se bo naenkrat premaknil.

Mateja Kavčič se neposredno dotika minljivosti kot osrednjega pojma biti, torej časa, materialov in seveda nas samih. Njena tematika stalnega spreminjanja, minevanja, izginjanja, porajanja in neskončne moči narave je sorodna tradicionalni japonski estetiki wabi-sabi, ki pomeni predvsem pogled na svet, osredotočen na sprejemanje minljivosti in z njo nepopolnosti. »Wabi-sabi neguje vse, kar je verodostojno, s priznavanjem treh preprostih realnosti: nič ni večno, nič ni dokončano in nič ni popolno.« Dolgo, ostro travo, ki je nihče ne kosi, umetnica nabira na mokriščih v Kostanjevici na Krki, jo nato prenese v atelje in tam poveže v snope, ki jih najprej posuši, nato pa skrbno zavije in pripravi za transport. Pleteni šopki močvirnate trave so sestavni del večjega ambientalnega dela ali prostorske postavitve, ki enako kot neznatni delčki v naravi sestavljajo celoto. Gre za dolgotrajen postopek nastajanja celovitosti skozi sintezo malih delcev. Mateja Kavčič že od nekdaj verjame v krožno gibanje narave, v večno ponavljanje, menjavanje letnih časov, v harmonično celoto, katere sestavni del smo tudi ljudje.

Na odprtju razstave se je zgodil še performans dveh mladih umetnic, Karin Vrbek in Betine Habjanič, naslovljen Lullaby/ Uspavanka. Umetnici sta v galeriji izvedli video-avditivni performativ eksperimentalnega podajanja retorike sublimnega, odvzetega dokumentarnim medijem klavniške materialnosti. Esenca te senzualnosti izhaja iz predsmrtnega dušenja prašičev v plinski komori. Tako Lullaby predstavlja omamo za umirjanje pred spanjem – nočjo – moro smrti. V obliki performativa je to tudi avtorski eksperiment intermedijske strategije spajanja momentov umetniškega stimulusa iz medijev realnega dokumentiranja klanja. Če strnemo: ob upoštevanju Aristotelovega pravila estetike, da je namreč sleherno obliko grdosti mogoče preseči z umetniško upodobitvijo, in Plutarhovega reka, da umetnikova veščina nadene pridih lepote, je razstava Pošasti so ljudje namenjena upanju. Sedanjost je namreč lahko groteskna, a v prihodnosti leži upanje.

In ker upanje umira zadnje, bo grotesko premagalo.

Nina Jeza, Artists&Poor’s

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MONSTERS ARE HUMAN As unlikely as it may seem in the 21st century, modern society continues to contend with the idiosyncrasy of stereotypes: LGBT activism, autism, migrant and refugee flows, fetishism, addiction, conspiracy theories, and manic psychophysical states (depression and anxiety) are just some of them. We have yet to take a reasonable step towards a more open society that would replace stereotypes with scientific evidence: the truth is, during the pandemic we have clearly waded into a green swamp of the intellectual quasi-prestige of social networks, which modern online geniuses have seized upon to peddle their own homeopathic and New Age ideas. Modern brain-washing monsters have replaced psychopaths, those committed for insanity, and surrogate murderers to completely blur the line between science, fact, and fiction with the help of social networks and all kinds of readily available information.

In his book On Ugliness, which is about paintings that are nowadays considered masterpieces, the philosopher and author Umberto Eco wonders whether they may be ugly because they depict sin and evil. Picasso’s Guernica, once again exceptionally pertinent, depicts the horrors of war, screams, bombs; and the way it portrays death, everyone who has survived (or is currently experiencing) the abomination of war must surely experience the horror of his or her own experience. Does that make Guernica an ugly painting or a painting of ugliness? What about Rembrandt’s The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp, or Caravaggio’s or Rubens’s Medusa?

From antiquity to the present, visual works have depicted evil and wars, Hades, Saturn devouring his own children, Tantalus boiling his son and Agamemnon sacrificing his daughter, patricide or the insidious murder of Cain, or, in the mythology of the New Testament, portrayals of the suffering of Christ. This is a world in which artistic sublimeness and the beauty of depiction turn “ugly” or “horrible” acts into symbols.

In Slovenian art, the motif of chilling is most often present in works created between both World Wars. Three artists stand out in this respect: the fantastic France Mihelič (1907–1989) and his colleague Zoran Mušič (1909–2005), and Jože Tisnikar (1909–2005). What they have in common is their ability to portray that which terrifies us – darkness, fear, and death – in a direct yet sophisticated way. Freud called it Unheimlich, something that unsettles us because it is creepy and unfamiliar, unhuman even.

But since we live in a world in which grotesqueness is once again in vogue, in which after two years of fighting the pandemic we are faced with one of the most serious crises threatening Europe’s existence as military aircraft fly over our heads instead of birds, we have decided it is time to seek out the motif of chilling among contemporary Slovenian artists. The show presents the absurd, horrific, frightening, and grotesque as seen by artists: these are works that unobtrusively take us through the world of monsters, apparitions, demons, and freaks, sharing with us the sense of an abstract but very much real nightmare that accompanies us every day: yesterday Covid, today war; what awaits us tomorrow?

The curated exhibition Monsters are Human presents 13 (a number intentionally chosen) Slovenian artists of different ages and artistic styles, all of whom draw inspiration from the environments where they live and work. The exhibited artworks transpose distressing individual experiences into the wonderful world of artistic expression, where the idea is to capture what is in fact elusive yet so close and so deep. The purpose of depicting the “horrible” is to escape the real for at least a little while, to immerse ourselves in the imaginary and try to understand the symbolic as a necessity: as something that surrounds and inspires us, something we cannot escape – and yet something we can express with the help of art, we can let it touch us and perhaps awaken the desire for a different future. And therein lies the meaning of the exhibition title: fear originates from our own human experience, from everyone’s individual understanding of what frightens us and fills us with horror. Perceiving something as horrifying is not rooted in a rational interpretation thereof; it is inherently an emotional reaction. In other words, fear does not reside in the rational or empirical domain; it is a feeling that originates in the depths of the human being, created and existing for its own sake. That monsters are in fact people is clear from the history of punishment: courts have not convicted mythological creatures of abominable crimes. Monsters are not monsters, for monsters like that only exist in the imagination. Monsters are real creatures; in fact, only humans are monsters.

Zdenko Huzjan imbues his multitude of painting series with metaphysical content and existentialism. A childhood memory of children finding a buried human skull runs through the artist’s work, the event having inspired in him a love of archaeology as well as poetry. His characters are archaically poetic, painted in earthen tones and obfuscated as if with fog, which makes them even more uncanny, mysterious, and chilling. He is featured with five paintings from a larger series called Pillows of Earth and Sky (1998–99), in which he explores the interspace between Earth and sky with symbolism characteristic of the turn of the century, when painting was declared “dead” and figurality therefore ran into trouble, which in turn gave rise to a “new art” of sorts – a phenomenon that is in fact typical of turns of centuries.

By painting on pillowcases – grounded framed canvasses covered with pillow stuffing – he creates the sense of a soft pillow. Not only does this soften the painting, but the figure also changes position by moving from the centre to the edge of the painting to hover in spacelessness, as it were. Everything is soft, fuzzy, created with pads, and soaked in wax. It is akin to painting a body’s epidermis such that it is transposed into archaic and anthropomorphic figures, which turns the paintings into “mere” drawings or traces of paintings. The images are suspended between the being and the non-being, between life and transience: spectators are left hovering between Earth and sky, trapped in spacelessness.

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“All monsters are human

(Sister Jude Martin, American Horror Story)

Very similar content can be found in the works of Mirsad Begić, who relishes exploring and depicting ancient cultures, in particular Egypt’s, and is also interested in ancient American civilisations such as that of the Incas or Aztecs and the way they achieved harmony between art, space, and time. Begić, a Bosnian-Slovenian sculptor, is known for his many public monuments and portraits. For years, more precisely since 1999, he has been developing a series entitled Great Guardian, in which he uses softer materials such as ropes, paper, wood, and wax. In this exhibition he is featured with a drawing, a collage that is in fact a relief since we see bones and decomposing natural and artificial soft materials that are the bearers of Begić’s symbolic content of transience while at the same time reminding us of eternity. Embedded in the drawing are decomposing chicken bones tangled up in vinyl, an abstraction that is slightly unsettling due to the recognisable bones. The compositional superstructure of the artwork is expressed in its monumentality, the colours are monotonous: the anthropomorphic line and relief finish are a reference to the cyclicality of birth and death, which Begić sees as the state of being trapped in the constricted inability of eternal existence and hence in the inevitability of humans (and other living beings) beings condemned to becoming fossils right after birth.

Marko Jakše, Slovenia’s representative at this year’s Venice Biennale, is an artist of the mystical and fantastic whose paintings are brimming with fantasies, fairy tales, and images that at first appear horrifying but then immediately transpire to be unmistakably beautiful. Jakše paints a truly unique mystical world which prises open the unconscious, requiring dedication, commitment, and most of all one’s own effort to grasp it. The observer can but stand in awe of the artist’s imagination, which is seemingly boundless. The uncanny figures are hybrids, slightly anthropomorphic, mysterious, or simply hair-raising. Jakše’s surrealism is rooted in a dreamworld imbued with apparitions and disfigured images that again and again represent carefully considered stories, one might even say parables. Watching his paintings, one also feels a thrilling discomfort. Jakše’s Poet of Carniola and St. Florian Valley needs no description since it says everything with a single image: it is probably a self-portrait of the artist, but there is also a human skull wearing a fish hat. The fish is a symbol of Christianity, and hence of Jesus Christ, and symbolises faith connected with birth; in the iconography of Indo-European peoples it represents fertility and wisdom. In the foreground is an apple, which we know is always used as an iconic subject of dispute, a forbidden fruit, which Jakše depicts as enveloped in sharp spikes that pierce us straight in the eye and, by extension, in the heart.

Jakše’s fellow painter Janez Kardelj – they both had the same mentor, Metka Krašovec – has a completely different artistic approach, one could describe it as conceptual painting. And yet works by both artists communicate a certain moral and ethical content underlaid by sociological or philosophical themes, and they are both primarily figurative painters. The message of the painting entitled Immoral Swinishness with Jewellian is as follows, according to the artist: “This artefact was created at a time when the British police kidnapped Julian Assange by abducting him from the Ecuadorean Embassy in London, where he had political asylum, and locked him up in the maximum security Belmarsh prison in London. The painting has symbolically shared Assange’s destiny since May 2019. It was locked up in three different locations, most recently in a basement in Ljubljana. Its isolation is now interrupted. As the owner and author, I have decided to put the original rather than the reproduction on display at the Monsters Are Human exhibition at the Nova Gorica City Gallery. The painting once again assumes its systemic functions. It is an exhibition piece, merchandise, property, aesthetic object, and object of fascination or irritation. The artefact is more important than conceptual consistency. The tormenting impact it has is more urgent than theory.”

The painting oeuvre of Andrej Brumen Čop spans a variety of themes and those that stand out are permeated with personal issues such as the painful experience of growing up in a suffocating environment that remains disdainful of homosexuality. The motif of insects – just like the motif of homosexuality – puts the spotlight on society’s attitude to something that it sees as pestering, marginal, and threatening. The painter casts a critical glance on the minority’s current problems and individual distress, either in a subtly sensual way or in a dramatically brutal way. Čop never paints observations; his motifs typically spring up from the unconscious and from memory. The melody of colours is what is important, the form follows spontaneously: the result is therapy, a meditation, and most of all introspection.

Nosce te ipsum was an inscription in the forecourt of the Temple of Apollo in Delphi that greeted visitors on arrival.

Many Greek philosophers borrowed it, for example Socrates and Plato, to emphasise the meaning of something larger, an ancient order that is above individualism and keeps the individual within the community with the help of rational perception. Colour is not the only dimension important to Čop, as light is as well. The exhibited painting Walking School is an homage to Gabriel Stupica. Black Death leading a child surrounded by bees once again brings the symbolism of insects, a recurring feature of Čop’s paintings; as a result, he can be characterised as a painter of the mystical.

Milan Golob, who completed his painting studies under the mentorship of professor and painter Metka Krašovec, approaches painting in a conceptual way. He entitles his pictures after names on gravestones that he finds during his travels in Central Europe. He says he likes to stroll around old graveyards because they are places where one inevitably experiences a special feeling: some may find this feeling frightening and sad; for others, graveyards are places of sanctity and serenity. His body of work comprises a large number of small-scale rectangular paintings of the same format. It is a project that he began in 2002 and which involves him completing between 40 and 100 paintings every year. His images are abstract, but very thoughtfully painted: at first glance the paintings appear similar, but they are very diverse in terms of colour and positioning. Golob’s approach to painting is theoretical and mystical. In his opinion, painting must be in concordance with the universal spirit, outside and within real time. Two paintings – named as described above – have been selected for this exhibition, Zmago Jeraj (1937-2015) and Amelie Neresheimer (1850-1924), plus a video of the artist reading the names of the dead 9

Natalija Šeruga Golob is another artist inspired or influenced by chilling stories. This time she is exhibiting paintings from the series W. B. Collection, portraits of children and postcards addressed to W. B. onto which horses are painted, seemingly randomly scattered on the ground next to a rocking horse. The idea comes from the atmosphere which it creates: the feeling she sets out to achieve or capture in the artwork is that of a newly created – other – world, a feeling of transience and ageing, in order to make sense of new beginnings. The vision comes from within and develops with each subsequent physical intervention in the painting. The inner concept is the guiding force in visual decisions, which in turn depend on the materials used. Natalija’s motifs are silhouettes and landscapes, which come across as dark, neo-Gothic in fact, as if they were the vibrations of a person in the painting medium. She expands the motifs with unusual frames that deepen the softness and transparency of the paintings, thus creating a chilling mystique. The medium augments the sense that the paintings are old, ancient, and archaic, this Medieval mysticism making them somewhat demonic. Her works typically originate in a mysterious life story, for, as Šeruga puts it, a painting is the perfect word. Stylistically, the artist invokes subtlety inspired with a mystical and mysterious atmosphere intertwining thoughts about life and death, and about the transience and fragility of the world’s beauty.

Saša Bezjak has a slightly different, very direct artistic approach to interpersonal relations. She emphasises eroticism and intimacy, depicting them through the creative development of primal, primitivist drawings that appear as if they were made by a child: the images are expressed through croquis, ad hoc lines made here and now in one perfect stroke. Yet this is precisely why her drawings have the effect of completed artworks: they radiate a primary, childish innocence while at the same time creating the impression that they need no additional explanation since they are direct, Fauvist, and convincing. The exhibition features a large-scale charcoal and acrylic drawing entitled Horror, which, despite its naturalist primality and technique, undoubtedly triggers a strong emotional burst from the viewer, a (r)evolution of emotions, a scream inexorably spreading beyond the surface of the lineated painting. Saša Bezjak’s works perceive life as decadent: we feel desire, perceive sadness, look for passion, want love, and experience suffering.

Goran Bertok expresses himself in the medium of photography. He says he refuses to be a photographer who merely captures and records motifs; he approaches photography like painting in that he digitally edits the photographs, much like a painter would with a brush, only that he uses a different tool. Bertok’s photographs may be morbid, but they leave us in awe of the cold beauty they radiate. The artist says that he is not really interested in photography: his sole interest is motifs, and only certain motifs, which he says he has been trying to capture for years. Bertok is undoubtedly one of the most provocative Slovenian photographers with his motifs of unconventional sexual practices, sadomasochism in particular. He also undertakes an even more radical exploration of physicality, all the way to the ultimate darkness – death – either by visually confronting decaying bodies or by portraying people who have experienced the proximity of death first-hand. The exhibition features two photographs from his series Hunger that depict the chilling degeneration of a mortified body.

Juxtaposed with these photographs is the painting Carnival, by Mito Gegič, which depicts the cruelty of mass pig slaughter to satisfy our food needs. Gegič reflects on (and extends this reflection to the viewers) the recurring question of how it is possible that in the 21st century, with all the abundance and deliberate discarding of food, there is still hunger in the world. Why are we killing so many animals, and in such an inappropriate way, when we cannot even eat them in the end? The artist did not pick the motif accidentally; he arrived at it from a dystrophic position: not only is he a vegetarian, his family have long been hunters. He has thus consciously given up meat and meat products, but not because of his own “hunting” roots; indeed, he openly admires his roots, and his paintings are replete with hunting motifs. His approach to painting is interesting in that he prints images he scrapes from various places, from the internet or even from security cameras, which he then puts through a painting process, cuts into strips, and glues on to a canvas. One can say that his painting is in fact “digital” since the addition of printed online images, which are lurking beneath the surface, puts them on the verge of being hybrids.

Tina Dobrajc focuses on exploring the role of women in the past and present, dextrously intertwining her work with the symbolism of women’s emancipation and traditions learnt through generations, while highlighting the heritage of socialisation and the historical neglect of the role of women. The girls in her paintings are cute but chilling. They come across as sweet witches who invite us with their adorableness, but in their images we feel the depth of the horrifying reality. The painting Everyone Isn't Bad, Mama! Is an homage to the Stephen King novel Carrie, a now canonical tale of 16-year-old Carrie White, who is completely under the control of her Cristian-fundamentalist mother and brutally mocked and bullied by the other girls in school due to her naivete and looks, which end up leading to disaster. The chilling forest landscape and the painted image of young girls and boys, dressed in horrifying costumes and surrounded by wild animals, is certain to cause unease at first. Yet at the same time, the monumentality of the artwork captivates us and devours us with its grotesque faces, hidden in the dark of night, representing the epic scale of the modern myths

by Tina Dobrajc, the storyteller. The title of the painting merely confirms the horrifying content, whereas the carefully selected colour palette, with its interplay of strong contrasts, makes the morbidity of the mise-en-scène scream out even louder. Dobrajc reinterprets classic content by adding her personal commentary, thus establishing a very personal artistic position on the topic.

Matej Čepin is another artist of the younger generation. An autodidact enthralled with classic art and unconcerned with artistic styles, he has developed a distinct artistic language that he has built into the existing reality. Čepin’s works lay out beautiful landscapes with startling images, emphasising the anti-social morbidity of modern society and the general twistedness and distortion of the illusion of reality. His Pennywise invokes mystique, a Freudian Unheimlich, discomfort and anxiety. Using the widely recognised symbol of Stephen King’s coulrophobia, he takes us beyond the

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post-apocalyptic excess of the chilling realisation of Good day today to reflect on a different, deeper, more revealing and more chilling reality. Matej is a cinephile, a passionate fan of Hitchcock’s, Lynch’s, and Cronenberg’s thrillers, and of the writings of Franz Kafka. He is a classical “voyeur” who remains in the grotesque: the majority of his paintings inspire unease, horror, fear even; these feelings are augmented by the large format of his paintings, the “materiality” of the landscape, and the realistic figures. This achieves the desired effect: when we stand before an artwork, it is not us looking at it, but rather we become the observed. The truth remains concealed to the eyes and every opinion remains subjective: it seems like the clown is just waiting to move.

Mateja Kavčič directly addresses transience as the core concept of being: of time, of materials, and of ourselves.

Her topic of constant change, passing, disappearance, apparition, and the endless power of nature is similar to the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi, which represents a view of the world focused on accepting transience and hence imperfection. “Wabi-sabi nurtures everything that is credible by acknowledging three simple realities: nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect.” The artist collects long, sharp blades of grass that nobody cuts in the wetlands of Kostanjevica na Krki. She brings the grass to her studio and binds it into sheafs, which she first dries and then carefully wraps to transport. The woven sheafs of wetland grass are a constituent part of a larger ambient work or spatial installation, where they form a whole, just like the insignificant parts of nature that they are. This is a laborious process in which the whole is created via the synthesis of small parts. Mateja Kovačič has long-held beliefs in the circularity of nature, eternal repetition, the changing of the seasons, the harmonious whole, a whole that people are a constituent part of.

The exhibition opening also featured a performance by two young artists, Karin Vrbek and Betina Habjanič, entitled Lullaby. The artists did a video-auditory performance communicating the rhetoric of the sublime, having captured it from media that document the materiality of slaughterhouses. The essence of this sensuality stems from the premortem suffocation of pigs in a gas chamber. Lullaby represents stupefaction as a way to calm down before sleeping – before the night – the nightmare of death. As a performance, it is an experiment in the intermedia strategy of merging moments of artistic stimulus from media that document real slaughtering.

In conclusion: considering Aristoteles’s rule of aesthetics that every form of ugliness can be overcome with artistic representation, and Plutarch’s saying that an artist’s skill provides a touch of beauty, the exhibition Monsters Are Human is dedicated to hope. The present may be grotesque, but in the future lies hope.

And since hope dies last, it will defeat the grotesque.

Nina Jeza, Artists&Poor’s

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Mirsad Begic Mirsad Begić (1953, BiH) je kiparstvo študiral na Akademiji za likovno umetnost v Ljubljani, kjer je diplomiral leta 1979. Leta 1986 je pri kiparju Dragu Tršarju končal specialko. Med študijem se je redno izpopolnjeval v Zagrebu. Kipar ustvarja v glini, mavcu, keramiki, bronu in različnih netipičnih materialih, od voska, kosti do vrvi. Ustvarjal je tudi posamezne gledališke scenografije. Razstavlja v Sloveniji in zunaj nje (posebej v Nemčiji). Živi v Ljubljani. Je avtor številnih javnih spomenikov in portretov po Sloveniji. Leta 1997 je prejel Župančičevo nagrado in leta 2000 nagrado Prešernovega sklada.

Mirsad Begić (1953, Bosnia and Herzegovina) studied sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana, where he graduated in 1979. In 1986 he completed a master class with the sculptor Drago Tršar. During his studies he regularly took additional courses in Zagreb. The sculptor creates in clay, plaster, ceramics, bronze, and atypical materials ranging from wax to bone and rope. He has also done set designs for theatre.

Begić lives in Ljubljana and exhibits in Slovenia and beyond, in particular in Germany. He is the author of a number of public monuments and portraits in Slovenia. In 1997 he received the Župančič Prize and in 2000 the Prešeren Fund Prize.

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Iz serije Veliki čuvaj, 2019–2022, risba, kolaž, 160 x 300 cm

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Goran Bertok Goran Bertok (1963, Koper), leta 1989 diplomiral iz novinarstva na Fakulteti za sociologijo, politične vede in novinarstvo v Ljubljani; vpisan kot vojak v Jugoslovansko narodno armado; po mesecu dni odpuščen iz službe z diagnozo »psihopatska osebnost«. Leta 1990 prva samostojna razstava. http://www.bertok.si Goran Bertok (1963, Koper) earned a degree in journalism from the Faculty of Sociology, Political Science and Journalism in Ljubljana in 1989. He was drafted into the Yugoslav People’s Army but released after a month with the diagnosis “psychopathic personality”. He had his first solo exhibition in 1990. http://www.bertok.si

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Iz serije Lakota, 2019, fotografija, 150 x 100 cm

Iz serije Lakota, 2019, fotografija, 150 x 100 cm 17

Sasa Bezjak Saša Bezjak (1971, Maribor) je diplomirala leta 1999 na Pedagoški fakulteti v Mariboru iz likovne pedagogike pod mentorstvom profesorja kiparstva Darka Golije, leta 2001 pa iz slikarstva na Akademiji za likovno umetnost v Ljubljani pod mentorstvom profesorice Metke Krašovec (praktični del Slika kip) in profesorice umetnostne zgodovine dr. Nadje Zgonik (teoretični del Štiri osebna stališča mladih mariborskih umetnikov).

Leta 2009 je prav tam končala magistrski študij kiparstva pri profesorju Luju Vodopivcu s temo Različne dimenzije realnosti. Od leta 2002 je samozaposlena v kulturi. Leta 2013 ji je Univerza v Mariboru podelila naziv strokovna sodelavka za predmetno področje specialna didaktika. Ukvarja se z risbo, sliko, kipom, vezenino, likovnimi akcijami in poučevanjem. Že desetletje kot mentorica pripravlja likovne delavnice za mladino in odrasle ter organizira razstave del, ki tam nastanejo. http://sasabezjak.insignija.com/index.php/sl/ Saša Bezjak (1971, Maribor) graduated with a degree in fine arts education from the Faculty of Education in Maribor in 1999 under the mentorship of professor of sculpture Darko Golija before earning a degree in painting from the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana under the mentorship of Prof. Metka Krašovec (practical work – painting sculpture) and professor of art history Dr Nadja Zgonik (theoretical work – Four Personal Views of Young Maribor Artists). In 2009 she completed her master’s degree in sculpture at the same academy under the mentorship of Prof. Luj Vodopivec; the title of her thesis was Different Dimensions of Reality. Since 2002 she has been a freelance artist. In 2013 she was awarded the title of specialised assistant for special didactics by the University of Maribor. Her areas of interest are drawing, painting, sculpture, embroidery, and art actions. For over a decade she has been organising workshops for youths and adults as well as exhibitions of works created at these workshops. http://sasabezjak.insignija.com/index.php/sl/

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Groza, 2009, akril in oglje na papirju, 140 x 100 cm 19

Andrej Brumen cop Andrej Brumen Čop (1967, Maribor) je na Akademiji za likovno umetnost v Ljubljani pri profesorici Metki Krašovec diplomiral leta 1993. Leta 1995 je na isti ustanovi zaključil slikarsko specialko. Na povabilo galerije Werstadt Graz je leta 1994 študijsko bival v Gradcu. Leta 1997 je prejel štipendijo za študij slikarstva na Akademiji za likovno umetnost v Pragi, leta 2000 pa delovno štipendijo za bivanje v New Yorku. Ustvarja tudi ilustracije in likovno opremo. Bil je urednik revije Likovne besede. Poučuje na Pedagoški fakulteti v Ljubljani, je docent za področje slikarstva.

Andrej Brumen Čop (1967, Maribor) graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana in 1993 under the mentorship of Prof. Metka Krašovec and completed a master class there two years later. At the invitation of the Werstadt Graz gallery, he completed a residence in Graz in 1994. In 1997 he received a scholarship to study painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, and in 2000 he was awarded a work scholarship for a residency in New York. He also creates illustrations and artistic decorations. He was editor of the journal Likovne Besede and is an associate professor of painting at the Faculty of Education in Ljubljana.

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Šola hoje, 1998, olje na platnu, 170 x 90 cm, zasebna last, fotograf: Boris Gaberščik 21

Matej cepin Matej Čepin (1977, Celje) se je doslej predstavil na številnih samostojnih (KiBela, MMC KIBLA, Maribor, 2015; Galerija Murska Sobota, 2016; Likovni salon Celje, 2016; Miheličeva galerija Ptuj, 2015; Galerija Alkatraz Ljubljana, 2013; Galerija Plevnik-Kronkowska, 2015; Kvartirna hiša Celje, 2019; St. Anna am Aigen / Sveta Ana pri Igu (Avstrija), 2015 in druge) in skupinskih razstavah (Mestna galerija Piran, Galerija Murska Sobota, Center sodobnih umetnosti Celje, Slovenj Gradec, Koroška galerija likovnih umetnosti, KIBLA PORTAL, Maribor, Lamutov likovni salon v Kostanjevici na Krki in druge). Za svoje ustvarjalno delo je prejel več nagrad in priznanj.

Matej Čepin (1977, Celje) has been featured in numerous solo exhibitions (KiBela, MMC KIBLA, Maribor (2015), Murska Sobota Gallery (2016), Likovni Salon, Celje (2016), Mihelič Gallery, Ptuj (2015), Alkatraz Gallery, Ljubljana (2013), Plevnik-Kronkowska Gallery, Celje (2015), Kvartirna Hiša, Celje (2019), St Anna am Aigen, Austria (2015), and others) and group exhibitions (Piran City Gallery, Murska Sobota Gallery, Centre for Contemporary Arts, Celje, Koroška Gallery of Fine Arts, Slovenj Gradec, KIBLA PORTAL, Maribor, Lamut’s Art Salon, Kostanjevica na Krki, and others). He is the recipient of several awards and commendations.

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Good day today, 2010, olje, vosek, smola na platno, 200 x 150 cm, zasebna last 23

Tina Dobrajc Tina Dobrajc (1984, Kranj) je diplomirala iz slikarstva na Akademiji za likovno umetnost in oblikovanje v Ljubljani (2007), kjer je leta 2011 zaključila magistrski študij na oddelku za slikarstvo pod mentorstvom Hermana Gvardjančiča. Ustvarja na področju slikarstva, novih medijev, knjižne ilustracije in gledališke scenografije. Prejela je priznanje Riharda Jakopiča za mlade umetnike (2015), delovno štipendijo Ministrstva za kulturo (2016) in plaketo Hinka Smrekarja (2016).

Tina Dobrajc (1984, Kranj) graduated in painting from the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana in 2007 and completed her master’s degree in painting under the mentorship of Herman Gvardijančič in 2011.

Her work spans painting, new media, book illustrations, and set design for theatre. She has received the Rihard Jakopič Prize for young artists (2015), a work scholarship from the Ministry of Culture (2016), and the Hinko Smrekar Plaque (2016).

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”Everyone Isn't Bad, Mama!”, 2021, akril na platno, 162 x 144 cm

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Mito Gegic Mito Gegič (1982, Ljubljana) se je leta 2002 vpisal na slikarski oddelek Akademije za likovno umetnost in oblikovanje v Ljubljani pod mentorstvom profesorja Emerika Bernarda. Prek programa za izmenjavo študentov CEEPUS je v letu 2006 obiskoval oddelek za nove medije na Akademiji likovnih umetnosti v Zagrebu. Leta 2008 je diplomiral pri profesorju Hermanu Gvardjančiču z naslovom Rob in polje moči.

Dodatno se je izpopolnjeval na slikarski specialki Akademije za likovno umetnost in oblikovanje pod mentorstvom profesorja Zmaga Lenárdiča.

Mito Gegič (1982, Ljubljana) started studying painting at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana in 2002 under the mentorship of Prof. Emerik Bernard. He attended the new media programme at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb in 2006 through the CEEPUS student exchange programme. In 2008 he completed his undergraduate studies with his thesis entitled Edge and Field of Power under the mentorship of Prof. Herman Gvardjančič. He also completed a master class at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design with Prof. Zmago Lenárdič.

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Karneval, 2018, akril, maskirni trak na platnu, 252 x 152 cm 27

Milan Golob Milan Golob (1963, Ljubljana) je leta 1987 najprej diplomiral na Fakulteti za matematiko in fiziko v Ljubljani – oddelek za fiziko. V šolskem letu 1987/88 je študiral umetnostno zgodovino na Filozofski fakulteti v Ljubljani.

Nato je leta 1993 diplomiral še na Akademiji za likovno umetnost in oblikovanje v Ljubljani – oddelek za slikarstvo. Od januarja 1996 do decembra 2000 je bil glavni (odgovorni) urednik revije za likovno umetnost Likovne besede. Leta 2007 mu je Ministrstvo za kulturo RS podelilo delovno štipendijo in mu omogočilo študijsko bivanje v Berlinu. Kot svobodni umetnik danes deluje v Radencih. Je dobitnik študentske Prešernove nagrade za slikarstvo (1992), prejemnik dotacije Fundacije Pollock-Krasner (New York, 2003) in nominiranec za nagrado Henkel Art.Award.

Milan Golob (1963, Ljubljana) first graduated from the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics in Ljubljana in 1987 before studying art history at the Faculty of Arts in Ljubljana in 1987/88. In 1993 he earned a bachelor’s degree in painting from the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana. From January 1996 to December 2020, he was the editor-in-chief of Likovne Besede, a journal of fine arts. In 2007 he received a work scholarship from the Ministry of Culture to study in Berlin. A freelance artist working in Radenci, he received the Student Prešeren Prize for panting (1992) and a Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant (New York, 2003), and was also nominated for the Henkel Art.Award for modern drawing (Vienna, 2005).

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Amelie Neresheimer (1850–1924), 2013, olje, akril na platnu, 31×31 cm Zmago Jeraj (1937–2015), 2015, olje, akril na platnu, 30×30 cm

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Zdenko Huzjan Zdenko Huzjan (1948, Lendava) je slovenski slikar ekspresivne figuralike, grafik in pesnik. Diplomiral je na Akademiji za likovno umetnost v Ljubljani (prof. Gabriel Stupica) in obiskoval slikarsko specialko (prof. Janez Bernik). Prepoznaven je kot slikar (pregledna razstava slik, Moderna galerija Ljubljana, 1995; pregledna razstava risb, MGLC Ljubljana, 2000), grafik (pregledna razstava grafik, lesorezov, Umetnostna galerija Slovenj Gradec, 1994) in deloma kot kipar. Izdal je tudi pesniške zbirke. Univerza v Ljubljani ga je leta 1988 izvolila v naziv docenta in leta 1997 v naziv rednega profesorja risanja in slikanja na Pedagoški fakulteti Univerze v Ljubljani. Je prejemnik več nacionalnih in mednarodnih nagrad.

Zdenko Huzjan (1948, Lendava), a figurative painter, graphic artist, and poet, graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana under the mentorship of Prof. Gabriel Stupica and completed a master class with Prof. Janez Bernik. He is best known as a painter (a retrospective exhibition of paintings at Moderna Galerija Ljubljana, 1995; a retrospective exhibition of drawings at MGLC Ljubljana, 2000) and a graphic artist (a retrospective exhibition of prints and woodcuts at Slovenj Gradec Art Gallery, 1994) but has also done sculpture and published collections of poetry. He became an associate professor at the Faculty of Education in Ljubljana in 1988 before receiving tenure in 1997. He is the recipient of numerous national and international awards.

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5 slik iz serije, olje na platno “Vzglavniki Zemlje in Neba” “Vzglavniki Zemlje in Neba”, olje, vosek na platnu, 1999, 50 x 85 cm “Vzglavniki Zemlje in Neba”, olje, vosek na platnu, 1998, 45 x 55 cm “Vzglavniki Zemlje in Neba”, olje, vosek na platnu, 1998, 65 x 70 cm “Vzglavniki Zemlje in Neba”, olje, vosek na platnu, 1999, 55 x 60 cm “Vzglavniki Zemlje in Neba”, olje, vosek na platnu, 1998, 30 x 45 cm

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Marko Jakse Marko Jakše (1959, Ljubljana) je akademski slikar, leta 1987 je diplomiral na ljubljanski Akademiji za likovno umetnost pod mentorstvom Metke Krašovec. Razstavljal je na številnih samostojnih in skupinskih razstavah doma in v tujini, za svoje delo je prejel več domačih in mednarodnih nagrad. Je tudi prejemnik prestižne nagrade Prešernovega sklada v letu 2015. Na 59. beneškem bienalu bo zastopal Slovenijo.

Marko Jakše (1959, Ljubljana) graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Ljubljana under the mentorship of Metka Krašovec in 1987. He has been featured in solo and group exhibitions in Slovenia and abroad and has received multiple national and international prizes, including the Prešeren Fund Prize in 2015. He will represent Slovenia at the 59th Venice Biennale.

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Pesnik Kranjske in doline šentflorjanske, 2015, akril in olje na kartonu, 150 x 100,5 cm, last Galerije Prešernovih nagrajencev 33

Janez Kardelj Janez Kardelj (1964, Ljubljana) je akademski slikar. Diplomiral je na Akademiji za likovno umetnost v Ljubljani in se izoblikoval kot samosvoja umetniška osebnost; njegov slikarski slog se kaže v raznoliki postmoderni figuralnosti, s katero pogosto pripoveduje ali napoveduje sociološko ali filozofsko tematiko. Njegov opus obsega precejšnje število slik v mešanih tehnikah na platnu, ki jih predstavlja predvsem v slovenskih galerijah. Svoje misli o sodobni umetnosti je leta 2015 strnil v spisu Blišč in beda kaprealizma in socrealizma: primerjava obeh kulturno-umetnostnih konceptov in njun vpliv na sodobno nemoč umetniškega predmeta.

Janez Kardelj (1964, Ljubljana) graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana and developed into an idiosyncratic artist whose style of painting is distinguished by a diverse post-modern figurality, which he often uses to narrate or introduce sociological or philosophical topics. His oeuvre consists of a multitude of mixed media paintings, which he has exhibited mostly in Slovenian galleries. In 2015 he condensed his thoughts on contemporary art into an essay entitled Splendours and Miseries of Capitalist Realism and Socialist Realism: A Comparison of Both Cultural and Art Concepts and Their Impact on the Contemporary Powerlessness of the Object of Art.

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Protinravno svinjstvo z Jewelianom, 2019, akril na platno, 140 x 100 cm

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Mateja Kavcic Mateja Kavčič (1970, Novo mesto) se je leta 1989 vpisala na slikarski oddelek Akademije za likovno umetnost v Ljubljani, kjer je leta 1994 diplomirala in leto kasneje obiskovala slikarsko specialko. Leta 2007 je pridobila pedagoško-andragoško izobrazbo na Filozofski fakulteti Univerze v Ljubljani. Od leta 1995 ima status samozaposlene v kulturi. Deluje kot vizualna umetnica na področju slikarstva, risbe, grafike, fotografije, prostorskih postavitev in land arta. Sodeluje pri restavratorskih projektih in vodi ustvarjalnice za otroke. Je dobitnica priznanja Majskega salona 2011 in nominiranka za Jakopičevo priznanje 2017. Zadnjih osemnajst let živi in ustvarja v Škofji Loki, občasno ustvarja v priložnostnem ateljeju v Galeriji Božidarja Jakca v Kostanjevici na Krki.

Mateja Kavčič (1970, Novo Mesto) enrolled in the painting programme at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana in 1989 and graduated in 1994, completing a master class in painting a year later. In 2007 she received a teaching degree from the Faculty of Arts in Ljubljana. A freelance artist since 1995, she has produced paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, spatial installations, and land art, taken part in restoration projects, and led creative workshops for children. She won the May Salon Prize in 2011 and was nominated for the Jakopič Prize in 2017. For the past 18 years she has lived and worked in Škofja Loka and occasionally works at the Božidar Jakac Gallery studio in Kostanjevica na Krki.

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Natalija seruga Golob Natalija Šeruga Golob (1971, Maribor) je na Akademiji za likovno umetnost in oblikovanje v Ljubljani študirala slikarstvo. Diplomirala je leta 1999. Nadaljevala je podiplomski študij slikarstva in magistrirala leta 2003. Študijsko se je izpopolnjevala leta 2007 v Berlinu. Njena dela najdemo v več umetniških zbirkah (Umetnostna galerija Maribor, NLB, Zbirka Talum, Slovenski kulturni center Korotan, Dunaj, Mestna galerija Nova Gorica, Galerija Murska Sobota). http://www.natalijaseruga.si Natalija Šeruga Golob (1971, Maribor) studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana, from which she graduated in 1999 and obtained a master’s degree in 2003. She also completed a study course in Berlin in 2007. Her works are featured in the collections of numerous galleries (Maribor Art Gallery, NLB, the Talum Collection, the Korotan Slovenian Cultural Centre, Nova Gorica City Art Gallery, Murska Sobota Gallery). http://www.natalijaseruga.si

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Vestibul (Otrok O. V., naslovljeno na W. B.), 2021, 68 x 137 cm, pigmenti, akrilno vezivo in gumiarabika na platnu

Zbirka W. B. (Otrok A. L.), 2021, 25 × 22 cm, pigmenti, akrilno vezivo, olje na platno, čipka, les Zbirka W. B. (Otrok O. P.), 2021, 37 × 27 cm, pigmenti, akrilno vezivo, olje na platno, čipka, les Zbirka W. B. (Otrok B. L.), 2021, 29 × 23 cm, pigmenti, akrilno vezivo, olje na platno, čipka, les Zbirka W. B. (Otrok A. V.), 2021, 32 × 25 cm, pigmenti, akrilno vezivo, olje na platno, čipka, les Zbirka W. B. (Otrok B. V.), 2021, 30 × 22 cm, pigmenti, akrilno vezivo, olje na platno, čipka, les Zbirka W. B. (Otrok X. H.), 2021, 28 × 22 cm, pigmenti, akrilno vezivo, olje na platno, čipka, les Zbirka W. B. (Otrok M. J.), 2021, 32 × 23 cm, pigmenti, akrilno vezivo, olje na platno, čipka, les Zbirka W. B. (Otrok E. D.), 2021, 33 × 23 cm, pigmenti, akrilno vezivo, olje na platno, čipka, les Razglednica za W. B. (št. 6), 2021, 18 x 13 cm, pigmenti, akrilno vezivo na platnu Razglednica za W. B. (št. 30), 2021, 18 x 13 cm, pigmenti, akrilno vezivo na platnu Razglednica za W. B. (št. 36), 2021, 18 x 13 cm, pigmenti, akrilno vezivo na platnu Razglednica za W. B. (št. 69), 2021, 18 x 13 cm, pigmenti, akrilno vezivo na platnu Razglednica za W. B. (št. 72), 2021, 18 x 13 cm, pigmenti, akrilno vezivo na platnu Razglednica za W. B. (št. 73), 2021, 18 x 13 cm, pigmenti, akrilno vezivo na platnu Razglednica za W. B. (št. 80), 2021, 18 x 13 cm, pigmenti, akrilno vezivo na platnu Razglednica za W. B. (št. 83), 2021, 18 x 13 cm, pigmenti, akrilno vezivo na platnu 39

Betina Habjanic Betina Habjanič (1992, Maribor) je letos zaključila magistrski študij kiparstva na Akademiji za likovno umetnost in oblikovanje v Ljubljani. Bila je na študijski izmenjavi na Univerzi uporabnih umetnosti Angewandte na Dunaju. Marca 2018 je živo umetnost študirala znotraj londonske Live Art Development Agency (LADA) ter se v okviru kulturne rezidence povezala s številnimi umetniki. Neodvisno od programa oziroma umetniškega medija deluje kot aktivistka za pravice živali in koristi medij umetnosti kot orodje za artivizem. Trenutno deluje in gosti umetnice in umetnike v Galeriji Hladilnica Kulturnega centra Pekarna, sicer se pa podpisuje pod produkcijo Galerije Kapelica v Ljubljani.

Betina Habjanič (1992, Maribor) finished her master’s degree in sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana this year. She also completed an exchange programme at the University for Applied Arts Vienna as well as a live art residency at the London Live Art Development Agency (LADA) in 2018, where she forged ties with many artists. Outside the art world, she is an animal rights activist who uses art as a tool for activism. She currently works and hosts artists at the Hladilnica Gallery at the Pekarna Cultural Centre, and is also a producer at the Kapelica Gallery in Ljubljana.

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Karin Vrbek Karin Vrbek (1998, Slovenj Gradec) je novomedijska umetnica z diplomo Akademije za likovno umetnost in oblikovanje Univerze v Ljubljani. V svojih delih raziskuje mikrokozmos sestave digitalnih datotek, grajenost digitalnih medijev ter razstavljanje in recikliranje odpadkov v umetniške skulpture. Zanimajo jo združevanje in interakcija medijev v instalacijah in na interaktivnih spletnih straneh ter elektroakustična glasba.

Karin Vrbek (1998, Slovenj Gradec) is a new-media artist with a degree from the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana. Her works explore the microcosm of the composition of digital files, the structure of digital media, and the decomposition and recycling of waste into sculptures. She is interested in the combination and interaction of various media in installations and interactive wab pages, as well as electroacoustic music.

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Razstavo in izid kataloga sta finančno omogočila / The exhibition and catalogue have been financially supported by: MESTNA OBČINA NOVA GORICA

REPUBLIKA SLOVENIJA MINISTRSTVO ZA KULTURO

Katalog izdal/Catalogue issued by: Kulturni dom Nova Gorica (Zanj/Represented by: Pavla Jarc) Urednica/Editor: Mateja Poljšak Furlan Avtor besedila/Texts written by: Nina Jeza Lektoriranje/Proofreading: Ana Kodelja Prevod/Translation: Sebastijan R. Maček Fotografije/Photographs: Goran Bertok, Janko Lipovšek Oblikovanje in prelom/Catalogue design & DTP: Vid Simoniti Tisk/Print: Tiskarna Present d.o.o.

Kraj izida/Place of publication: Nova Gorica Leto izida/Publication year: 2022 Naklada/Nr. of copies: 250

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MESTNA GALERIJA NOVA GORICA Trg Edvarda Kardelja 5 SI 5000 Nova Gorica T: 05 335 40 17 E: mestnagalerija@kulturnidom-ng.si W: www.kulturnidom-ng.si FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Mestna.galerija.Nova.Gorica/

URNIK: od ponedeljka do petka od 9. do 13. ure in od 15. do 19. ure Ob sobotah od 9. ure do 12. ure.

Ob nedeljah in praznikih zaprto.