8. 5. 2026 Lecture / Saša J. Mächtig: My Look Back with a View Forward

Lecture / Saša J. Mächtig: My Look Back with a View Forward
UGM Great Hall, Strossmayerjeva ulica 6
Friday, 8 May 2026, 18:00 – 19:30

You are warmly invited to a lecture by the current Prešeren Award lifetime achievement recipient, designer and architect Saša J. Mächtig. The lecture will take place on the eve of the installation of Mächtig’s legendary K67 kiosk system on the plaza in front of the Maribor Art Gallery. Don’t miss the opportunity to learn first-hand about the background of its creation and the remarkable life of the K67 kiosk! Admission is free.

Saša J. Mächtig laid the foundations of contemporary Slovenian design identity through his creative, pedagogical, and intellectual work. His designs, based on an understanding of the relationship between technology, space, and people, connects architecture, industrial design, and urban planning. At the heart of his oeuvre is the development of open, adaptable systems of urban infrastructure based on modularity, mobility, flexibility, and mass production. Mächtig’s most recognizable work, the K67 System, a modular kiosk system from 1966 created in response to the needs of modern urban life, has become an icon of global industrial design. As one of the few Slovenian design products to achieve the status of an internationally recognized classic, it has been part of the collection of Museum of Modern Art in New York City since the 1970s and remains one of the most recognizable design icons of the former Yugoslavia.
The international success of the K67 kiosk established Saša J. Mächtig as one of the leading designers of his time and opened the way for his further work. In the 1970s, together with collaborators, he developed research on the organization of public space and systems of urban and road equipment. His projects were often created in collaboration with other creatives and placed in public spaces as part of broader community initiatives.His contribution to the institutional development of the field was also exceptional, as he was among the key initiators of the establishment of the Department of Industrial Design at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design (ALUO). In 2013, he became Professor Emeritus of the University of Ljubljana. For his work, he has received numerous important domestic and international awards and recognitions.This year’s Prešeren Award for lifetime achievement is a recognition of the creative breadth and visionary thinking that, decades ahead of its time, shaped the way we use, experience, and understand shared public space. 

The K67 kiosk in front of the Maribor Art Gallery was renovated by students of the Technical School Centre Maribor. The project was selected as part of the participatory budget of the Municipality of Maribor.

You are kindly invited!