KUD Mreža Arts and Culture Association

Established in 1997 at Metelkova mesto Autonomous Cultural Centre, KUD Mreža (meaning KUD Network) nowadays carries out a wide range of activities, from leading art galleries and promoting concerts, to mediating information on cultural funding opportunities and managing an archive of press clipping and some photographic and audio-video materials regarding Metelkova mesto.

Since 2000, it is organising the International Feminist and Queer Festival Red Dawns, bringing concerts, exhibitions, urban interventions, as well as video projections, round tables, book presentations, and lectures to various Ljubljana venues. For a time, it organised the similarly diverse Personal–Collective Festival, which was primarily oriented towards mingling improvised music, dance, and visual arts.

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, but also functioned as a formal vehicle for various other initiatives that were active there. Its predecessor was, in a way, 'Mreža za Metelkovo' (The Network for Metelkova), a collective that worked to establish and coordinate this autonomous cultural centre in the first place.

In 2000, together with the Society for the Protection of Atheistic Feelings (DZAČ), KUD Mreža founded Menza pri koritu, a very active Metelkova venue that hosts concerts, poetry evenings, various workshops, trainings (circus, stage technique, etc) and many other events. As of 2015, the association is not running the place any more.

Core projects

KUD Mreža operates the Alkatraz Gallery, where contemporary art exhibitions, performances and installations take place, and the adjacent AAsylum Studio, which hosts artists invited to its Artist-in-Residence project. The latter was launched in 2006 and - mor than 20 residentsm from japan, sputh africa

Another KUD Mreža run gallery is the very special Night Window Display Gallery Pešak, which displays its works behind the windows on the second floor of one of Metelkova buildings. The artworks can consequently only be seen by way of a telescope, set on a nearby tower.

Music series FriForma and Metabonma

The music cycle Džez pri Koritu, held at Klub Menza pri koritu since 2007, was remade in 2016 as the FriForma series. Still focusing on improvised music, this one now uses different venues, among them being Pocket Teater Studio, Kapelica, +MSUM, The Church of St. James, Klub Gromka.

Some of its guests were seymour wright, Daichi Yoshikawa, Rie Nakajima in Pierre Berthet, the CRAM records, Jean-Luc Guionnet and Lucio Capece; before that, Džezz pri Koritu hosted artists like All Included, Marc Ribot, Tristan Honsinger, Martin Küchen, Keith Rowe, Seijiro Murayama, Kazutoki Umezu Kiki Band, Linda Sharrock, Good for Cows, Gutbucket, etc.

This cycle is complemented by the Metabonma, a series for staging contemporary composed music and classical music. It has featured the likes of mak grgić, oskar laznik, Bruce Hamilton, Marko Hatlak and Drumartica.

Other international projects

In 2013, KUD Mreža became part of the international research project called "The Future of Work, and led the consortium (featuring Projekthaus Potsdam-Babelsberg and Zaaigrond filmproductions) that secured financing by the European Cultural Fund (ECF). The Future of Work is a 4 episode web-documentary by Abel Heijkamp (NL) and Julij Borštnik (SI), who are documenting their research into contemporary labour conditions in the Netherlands, Slovenia, Germany and Europe in general.

It also participated in Trans Europe Halles, a European Network of Independent Cultural Centres, with Metelkova hosting the TEH meeting in 2006.

Improcon Festival

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