Creatures in Recent Slovenian Sculpture
Creatures in Recent Slovenian Sculpture
UGM | Maribor Art Gallery – First floor
Opening: Friday, 4 March 2016, at 18:00
The exhibition Creatures in Recent Slovenian Sculpture is a collaboration between Maribor Art Gallery, Lojze Spacal Gallery Štanjel, Gorenjska Museum, the Prešeren Award Winners Gallery Kranj, and the Ljubljana Fine Artists Society.
Initially, the exhibition focused on animal depictions, not on creatures. The display includes monkeys, insects, dogs, fishes, bats, a cheetah, a raven, an octopus, a pig, and other animals known from our near and the wider environment. Their world blends in with the world of unrecognisable creatures that have no connection to the existing fauna − as in fact, at first glance, have any of the majority of the recognisable exhibits. At this exhibition, 'naturalistic (in this case, the use of term is even more appropriate than commonly) portraits' are rather an exception to the rule; the works are primarily carriers of various moods, ideas, and morals, sometimes archetypal, sometimes imaginary, or, better still, applying to both, archetypal and imaginary.
Because of this interlacement, curator Dr. Lev Menaše observed that the exhibition is transformed into a unique competition between Darwinism and creationism. Darwinism teaches 'that all species originally arise from parental forms with variations according to the natural selection of individuals most fit to reproduce their species', whilst creationism claims 'that matter and all things as they presently exist originate from the almighty Creator and have not been formed and developed gradually'. Thus, Dr. Menaše assesses: "It is not hard to guess, which teaching prevailed, and the conclusion is obvious: in relation to art, Darwin was wrong. Art has always been dominated by almighty Creators who continue to do so in the present."
Curator: dr. Lev Menaše
Artists: Mirsad Begić, Janez Boljka, Mirko Bratuša, Jakov Brdar, Dragica Čadež, Peter Černe, Natalija R. Črnčec, Polona Demšar, Stane Jagodič, Viljem Jakopin, Matic Jelčič Kürner, Barbara Jurkovšek, Marko A. Kovačič, Nina Koželj, Damijan Kracina, France Kralj, Erik Lovko, Vladimir Makuc, Iztok Maroh, Marija Prelog, Boštjan Putrich, Saba Skaberne, Mojca Smerdu, Zoran Srdić Janežič, Jože Šubic, Drago Tršar, Klavdij Tutta, Lujo Vodopivec, Jožef Vrščaj
Professional Advisor: Simona Šuc
Participating Institutions: Maribor Art Gallery, Lojze Spacal Gallery Štanjel, Gorenjska Museum, Galerija Prešeren Award Winners Gallery Kranj, Ljubljana Fine Artists Society.
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