KUD Mreža Arts and Culture Association

Established in 1997 at Metelkova mesto Autonomous Cultural Zone, the army barracks-turned-cultural complex in the centre of Ljubljana, KUD Mreža (meaning KUD Network) nowadays carries out a wide range of activities, from leading an art gallery to promoting concerts, maintaining an archive, and mediating information on fundraising. Since 2003, KUD Mreža has also been managing the renovations of buildings within ACC Metelkova Mesto with the support of the Ljubljana City Council.

1280pxAlkatraz Gallery, established in 1996 as an artist run space, located in Metelkova mesto Autonomous Cultural Zone, Ljubljana

Background

Initially, KUD Mreža Association was primarily engaged in visual arts projects at Metelkova, and was one of the formal vehicles available for various collectives that were active there. Its predecessor was, in a way, Mreža za Metelkovo (The Network for Metelkova), an initiative that worked to establish this autonomous cultural centre in the first place.

Together with the Society for the Protection of Atheistic Feelings (DZAČ), it also founded the Metelkova venue Klub Menza pri koritu into a popular club that now hosts concerts, poetry evenings, various workshops (circus, stage technique, etc) and many other events involving local and international musicians, performers, artists, and more. Yet, as of 2015, the association is not active there any more.

Core projects

Since 2000, KUD Mreža is organising the International Feminist and Queer Festival Red Dawns, which features performances, concerts, exhibitions, urban interventions, as well as video projections, round tables, book presentations, and lectures. For a time, it also organised the similarly diverse, on contemporary improvised music, dance, and visual arts oriented [[Personal–Collective Festival].

It also operates the Alkatraz Gallery, which concentrates on contemporary art exhibitions, performances and installations, and the adjacent Studio Asylum, which hosts artists and authors who come here for a work visit within the Artist-in-Residence project. The latter was launched in 2006, and is operated together with the Art Center Prosenjakovci. It has hosted numerous artists from a number of countries, including Croatia, France, Japan, Great Britain, Germany, and Norway. In this same field, KUD Mreža also runs art auctions and organises art workshops (painting, graphic art, sculpture, metal sculpture, etc.).

The "Urban Art Projects" [Urbani likovni projekti] are devoted to the renovations and art exhibitions in public spaces at Metelkova mesto, such as creating and arranging Hajlends Park at Metelkova mesto, making mosaics, etc. It also manages an archive of photographic, audio and video materials regarding Metelkova mesto and the events occurring there.

Music cycles FriForma and Metabonma

Active since 2007, the music cycle Đezz pri Koritu has in 2015 transformed music concert cycles FriForma, which focuses on improvised music. This cycle was complemented in XXXX by the cycle Metabonma, which focuses more on contemporary classical music.

The guests in the scope of FriForma have been xxx, xxx and xxx; Metabonma has brought xxx, xxx and xxx. It uses various venues, among them Klub Gromka, Menza pri Koritu and MoTA Museum of Transitory Art.

Other international projects

In 2013, it became a part of the international research project called "The Future of Work, financed by European Cultural Fund (ECF). The Future of Work is 4 episode web-documentary “The Future of Work” Abel Heijkamp (NL) and Julij Borštnik (SI) research the growing insecurity of work and living in the Netherlands, Slovenia, Germany and Europe, with Projekthaus Potsdam-Babelsberg (GE) and Zaaigrond filmproductions (NL).

KUD Mreža is the Slovene host for the international project La caravane des dix mots that takes place in more than 40 countries world-wide. KUD Mreža also participated – together with ACC Metelkova – in Trans Europe Halles, a European Network of Independent Cultural Centres.

External links

Gallery

Alkatraz Gallery, interior, 2009

Alkatraz Gallery, established in 1996 as an artist run space, located in Metelkova mesto Autonomous Cultural Zone, Ljubljana

Tomaž Tomažin, V čast klobuku [In honour of the hat], light box, detail, in the Tomaž Tomažin and Damijan Kracina / Serious players exhibition, curated by Jadranka Ljubičič, Alkatraz Gallery, 2010

Naoko Mashiba dance concert at Asylum Studio, KUD Mreža, 2016

The Revolting Women Social Workers present their calendar I Want My Part Of The History! at the Metelkova mesto Autonomous Cultural Zone, A - Infoshop, in the scope of the International Feminist and Queer Festival Red Dawns in 2014