The Slovenian Cultural Centre in Berlin (SKICA Berlin): Bridging Cultural Diplomacy and International Connections
updated 2 hours ago
In 2026, the Slovenian Cultural Centres (SKICA) in Vienna and Berlin each celebrate a significant milestone. Established in 2011, SKICA Vienna marks fifteen years of activity, while SKICA Berlin, founded five years later, celebrates its first decade. Created as a joint initiative of the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia, the two centres play a vital role in promoting contemporary Slovenian art and culture internationally.
The projects and partnerships developed by SKICA Berlin are strikingly diverse. They range from cooperating at the Slovenia’s appearance as Guest of Honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2023, to an exhibition on Slovenia’s beekeeping heritage at Berlin’s Museum of European Cultures, and an exhibition Beyond Impressionism – Slovenian Modernism and Dachau at the Dachau Art Gallery. At the time this interview was conducted, SKICA was also presenting, together with the Centre for Creativity and the LJFW Institute, a pop-up showcase of Slovenian fashion designers during Berlin Fashion Week.
We spoke with Saša Šavel Burkart, MSC, who is the Head of SKICA Berlin since January 2021. She reflects on the centre’s work and some of its most significant achievements, discusses the approaches that underpin the successful international promotion of Slovenian art and culture, and considers the measures needed to support the long-term development of Slovenian cultural diplomacy.
Center Rog
updated 32 hours ago
Center Rog is a production space and creative hub founded by the Municipality of Ljubljana in 2021, bringing together traditional craftsmanship and contemporary innovation under the concept of creative industries. Located in the renovated former Tovarna Rog bicycle factory and opened in 2023, it is organised around a network of workshops where members can learn to use a wide range of tools and technologies across nine specialised labs, including the Textile Lab, Wood Lab, Metal Lab, and Food Lab. Center Rog also features nineteen project studios and five residential apartments, which regularly host international creatives, researchers, and other creative professionals.
Slovenian Culture and Information Centre, Vienna (SKICA)
updated 2 days ago
Established in Vienna in 2011, the Slovenian Culture and Information Centre in Austria (SKICA) promotes Slovenian achievements in the arts, culture, science and research, while fostering cultural exchange between Slovenian and Austrian audiences and institutions.
Zelene poti v Slovenijo
updated 2 days ago
Kulturni in ustvarjalni sektorji v marsičem že prednjačijo drugim panogam po zelenih oziroma trajnostnih praksah – ne le zaradi skromnih ali omejenih sredstev, temveč tudi zaradi občutljivosti za družbene izzive in etične razmisleke. Umetniki in kulturni delavci delujejo nepotratno in prilagodljivo, navajeni so delati več z manj, vire souporabljajo ali jih uporabijo večkrat. A vse opaznejše podnebne spremembe nas vabijo h globljemu premisleku o svoji organiziranosti in delovanju. Eden najpomembnejših, najnujnejših vidikov delovanja umetnikov in kulturnih delavcev, ki hkrati pušča največji okoljski odtis, je mobilnost.
Art Stays, International Festival of Contemporary Art
updated 2 days ago
Established in 2003, the Art Stays, International Festival of Contemporary Art is the main summer visual arts event in the Ptuj region. Since 2009, it represents one of two branches of the Art Ptuj Festival, the other being the Arsana International Music Festival.
The Art Stays Festival traditionally consists of a shorter condensed festival and a longer exhibition featured at several locations in Ptuj, including at partner institutions Ptuj – Ormož Regional Museum, Mihelič Gallery and Ivan Potrč Library Ptuj.
Slovenska literatura v obdobju 2020–2025
updated 4 days ago
Dvajseta leta enaindvajsetega stoletja so se za slovensko literaturo – tako kot navsezadnje za cel svet – pričela s pretresom: zaradi pandemije koronavirusa so se v marcu 2020 nenadno zaprla literarna prizorišča, knjigarne in knjižnice. Kljub temu je literarna in bralska skupnost kmalu po pričetku pandemije zahtevala, da naj se knjigarne in knjižnice vsaj delno znova odprejo. Kmalu so vzniknile tudi alternativne rešitve za izvajanje literarnih prireditev sredi zdravstvene in družbene krize: literarni pogovori so se do neke mere preselili na svetovni splet, pa tudi v javnem prostoru so se kmalu pričeli odvijati dogodki, ki so bili prilagojeni novim razmeram.
Kljub nepričakovano burnemu začetku desetletja sta si slovenska literatura in literarna infrastruktura v zadnjih petih letih ne le opomogli, temveč se tudi razvijata in dinamično odzivata na vselej nove lokalne in globalne trende in razmere. Pričujoči prispevek popisuje nekaj najopaznejših smeri razvoja slovenske literature ter slovenskega literarnega prizorišča v obdobju od leta 2020 do leta 2025.
Slovenian Literature, 2020–2025: Trends and International Presence
updated 4 days ago
The 2020s began with a major disruption for Slovenian literature – as, indeed, they did for the world at large. In March 2020, literary venues, bookshops, and libraries were suddenly forced to close as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Nevertheless, the literary and reading community soon began calling for bookshops and libraries to reopen, at least in part. Alternative ways of sustaining literary life in the midst of the health and social crisis also quickly emerged: author talks and literary discussions moved online to some extent, while events adapted to the new conditions soon began taking place in public space as well.
Despite the unexpectedly turbulent start to the decade, Slovenian literature and its literary infrastructure have not only recovered over the past five years, but have continued to evolve, responding dynamically to shifting local and global trends and conditions. This article traces some of the most visible developments in Slovenian literature and the Slovenian literary scene between 2020 and 2025.