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The Elusive Spaces of Arts Residencies
updated 3 hours ago
The brief historical overview discussed in the first article of the AiR series suggests that international artist-in-residence (AiR) programmes are by no means a homogeneous field. Various studies over the last 20 years emphasise how the field of AiR programmes is constantly changing and is characterised by such fragmentation, complexity and diversity that it is hard to define and classify. But is there a common denominator amongst this diversity?
Across Borders and Time: International Arts Residencies
updated 4 hours ago
Artist-in-residence (AiR) programmes are organised temporal and/or spatial opportunities that allow artists and creators from the cultural and creative sectors to focus on the research or production process. The role of these programmes in an artist's development and practice is paramount, but they do not merely provide infrastructure for an individual's artistic engagement. By placing the artist in a specific spatial and/or temporal context, AiR programmes inevitably connect him/her to the environment and communities. In this way, they develop into intensive opportunities for intercultural encounters and dialogue, the exchange of information and the acquisition of skills and knowledge. AiR programmes are thus also meeting points, catalysts of creativity in a community and drivers of social sustainability. They can help revitalise local creativity, encourage social cohesion and enhance care for the built and natural environment. To better understand their role today, this article traces their development across different historical periods and contexts.
Nova Gorica City Gallery
updated 5 hours ago
Founded in 1997, the Nova Gorica City Gallery has since developed into one of the most high-profile contemporary arts spaces in the Goriška region. Known for its specific circular shape with a 361-square-metre space, the gallery represents a special creative challenge for artists, and enables a very personal experience of the artworks. All that also reflects the exhibition of the Pixxelpoint International Festival of Computer Art, which has been organised by the Nova Gorica City Gallery since 2000. The venue also hosts various talks on contemporary visual arts, fine arts workshops for children, and guided exhibition tours for the public.
Nova Gorica Arts Centre
updated 5 hours ago
The Nova Gorica Arts Centre (Kulturni dom Nova Gorica) was opened as a regional cultural and community centre back in 1980. Besides being a prominent concert and film theatre venue, it is nowadays also the most important concert producer for classical and early music in Western Slovenia. Besides using its own two event halls, the Arts Centre often sets up concerts at other venues, most regularly at the Kromberk Castle and the Franciscan Monastery at Kostanjevica, a hill just above Nova Gorica.
Its visual arts branch, the Nova Gorica City Gallery, is located within the Nova Gorica theatre building complex. The Arts Centre organises a range of other programmes, including the Pixxelpoint International Festival of Computer Art, the October Jazz festival, the International Saxophone Meeting and the Flores Musicae Festival of mediaeval and renaissance music. All in all, the Nova Gorica Arts Centre organises more than 500 events with almost 65,000 visitors per year.
Museum and Galleries of Ljubljana
updated 5 hours ago
City Museum of Ljubljana, 2006
In 2009 the City Museum of Ljubljana and the City Art Gallery Ljubljana merged into a new public institute called the Museum and Galleries of Ljubljana (MGML). The merger was part of the Municipality of Ljubljana's cultural development plans for 2008–2011, endorsed in June 2008.
LokalPatriot Institute
updated 5 hours ago
LokalPatriot is one of the liveliest cultural centres in Novo mesto. The original and inventive programmes presented here are conceived by a team of young and engaged local professionals.
Finta
updated 5 hours ago
The Finta, Contemporary Arts Institute was launched in 2016. It evolved out of No History Institute of Contemporary Arts that was established in 2003 as a platform for interdisciplinary artistic research projects involving performance, visual arts and music (under the name ). Since 2009 animation has been put into focus: Finta has produced a bunch of animated films directed by Špela Čadež. The puppet animation Boles (2013) and the Nighthawk (2016) have received international acclaim.
Creative members of the Institute have included, among others: Mare Bulc, Špela Čadež, Jana Flego, Katja Kobolt, Žiga Lebar, Jure Novak, Katarina Petrov, Tina Smrekar, Leon Vidmar, Gregor Zorc.
Kino Šiška Centre for Urban Culture
updated 6 hours ago
Kino Šiška is one of the main cultural centres in Ljubljana. Established in 2009, it is a highly industrious institution in terms of artistic scope, dealing with music, film, visual and new media art, theatre, and contemporary dance as well as with various other cultural endeavours. However, its main trade is that of music concerts, with the acts ranging from indie rock and alternative pop to experimental electronica and old school heavy metal.
Besides its 300 or so events per year, Kino Šiška also runs various programmes for finding and supporting upcoming artists, does international promotion for Slovene artists, runs a visual arts sales gallery DobraVaga, and collaborates with the local community.
Slovenia – Guest of Honour Country at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2023
updated 6 hours ago
In October 2023, Slovenia is the Guest of Honour of the Frankfurt Book Fair, the world's largest trade fair for books, under the slogan "Honeycomb of Words". Slovenia's exposure at the Frankfurt Book Fair is an opportunity to strengthen the export potential of national book creativity in the field of literature and illustration, meanwhile the effects can be seen in both the cultural and tourism sector.
Slovenian Book Agency is in charge of the project organisation. It has already intensified the translation of Slovenian books, mostly to German. The program has been curated by Miha Kovač and Matthias Göritz.
Slovene Section of IBBY
updated 6 hours ago
One of 70 National Sections of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), the Slovene Section of IBBY was established in Pionirska - Centre for Youth Literature and Librarianship in 1992, shortly after the formation of the independent state of Slovenia. Many of its founding members were involved in the former National Section of Yugoslavia. In 1966, the Yugoslav Section of IBBY hosted the IBBY Congress in Ljubljana, under the title of "The Birth of Children's Books".
The Slovene Section of IBBY is based in the Ljubljana City Library and collaborates closely with the Pionirska Centre. It strives to become the focal point for each institution or individual that is concerned with children's literature in Slovenia.