KUD Mreža Arts and Culture Association

Established in 1997 at Metelkova mesto Autonomous Cultural Centre, KUD Mreža (meaning KUD Network) is carrying out a rather wide range of arts and related programmes, from running art galleries and promoting concerts, to mediating information on funding opportunities and managing an archive of press clipping and some photographic and audio-video materials regarding Metelkova mesto.

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

Background

Initially, it was primarily engaged in visual arts projects at Metelkova, but it also functioned as a formal vehicle for various other initiatives that were active there. Its predecessor was (in some way at least) 'Mreža za Metelkovo' (The Network for Metelkova), a collective that worked to establish this autonomous cultural centre in the first place, and since is start KUD Mreža is carrying out some communal Metelkova functions.

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, theatre shows, various workshops and many other events. As of 2015, the association is actively involved in the place any more.

Core projects

KUD Mreža runs a diverse set of activities, among them being the aforementioned archive, and also a couple of programmes regarding educating children and youth about the Metelkova cultural centre. In collaboration with schools from Ljubljana (as well as from elsewhere), Mreža organises guided tours and visits (recently partly in collaboration with the Bunker Institute) to the many artists studios, clubs, galleries, urban art projects and even concerts at Metelkova. Various children workshops regularly happen under its auspices.

It also leads many other educational programmes, amongst them also a very ambitious and extensive, EU funded sound&lighting training)

It also operates the Alkatraz Gallery, where contemporary art exhibitions, performances and installations take place, and the adjacent Asylum Studio, which hosts artists of various orientations (street art, dance, sculpturing, music, etc) in its artist-in-residence project and featured artists. Another KUD Mreža run gallery is the very special Night Window Display Gallery Pešak, which displays its artworks behind the windows of one of Metelkova buildings, and they can consequently only be seen by way of a telescope, set on a nearby tower.

Since 2000, KUD Mreža is organising the International Feminist and Queer Festival Red Dawns, bringing concerts, exhibitions, urban interventions, as well as video projections, lectures, and book presentations 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.

Music series FriForma and Metabonma

The jazz and improvised music cycle Džez pri Koritu, for many years regularly held at Klub Menza pri koritu, 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 Gallery, Museum of Contemporary Art Metelkova (MSUM), Klub Gromka and even various churches.

Some of its guests were Seymour Wright, Daichi Yoshikawa, Rie Nakajima, Pierre Berthet, CRAM records, Jean-Luc Guionnet and Lucio Capece. Before that, Džezz pri Koritu hosted artists like 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. Featuring the likes of Bruce Hamilton, Mak Grgić, Oskar Laznik, Marko Hatlak and Drumartica, the series is happening exclusively at Metelkova, where such music is only rarely to be heard.

Urban art projects

Among its endeavours are also the so called Gesamtkunstwerk Metelkova mesto, or Urban Art Projects. Devoted to the renovations and artistic augmentations of public spaces at Metelkova, this project has been going on since 2003 and is responsible for more than a hundred projects, from establishing parks and setting up the Pešak Gallery to the many mosaics, graffiti works and various sculptures.

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