Architectural Gallery DESSA

The first and the only specialised architectural gallery in Slovenia, the Architectural Gallery DESSA is an important platform for the exchange of ideas and opinions. Since its establishment in 1989 over 200 exhibitions in Slovenia, 72 exhibitions abroad, and more than 50 lectures have been organised.

In 2009 Gallery DESSA celebrated its anniversary with the exhibition dedicated to the last two decades – the leading architects of the DESSA Architecture Centre took this opportunity to remind the public of the greater responsibility for environmental issues and society in general.

In March 2010 the exhibition Contemporary architecture in Slovenia 1999–2010 produced by Gallery DESSA and curated by Andrej Hrausky and Maja Ivanič was presented at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Skopje (Republic of Macedonia) in the frame of the 15th Architectural Biennial of Macedonia – BIMAS 2010.

Background

After DESSA Architecture Centre was founded in 1982 its members soon revealed the wish for their own exhibition space. For the interior design they invited internationally renowned architect Boris Podrecca who drew the first plans for the gallery space in 1987 free of charge. The place follows the principles of Gottfried Semper, and is composed of four rooms, each devoted to a different building material – stone for the gallery, wood for the library, plastic for the office, and textile for the meeting room. All items except the chairs were made especially for DESSA; chairs designed by Niko Kralj in the 1950s were donated by the manufacturer Stol Kamnik. The corporate identity of the gallery was designed by Ranko Novak.

The opening of the Architectural Gallery DESSA was celebrated in 1989 with the exhibition of the Prešeren Award winners. Recognition of DESSA Gallery was soon gained through articles in international magazines, which were published mostly with the help of Podrecca. In 1991 the Grand Exhibition of Slovene Architecture in New York was organised, which attracted many visitors and later travelled through cities in the USA and Canada.

History of the building

The location where the DESSA gallery and office complex stands today was once the site of a synagogue. After a fire destroyed it in 1213, it was rebuilt on a larger scale. In the 16th century Cesar Maximilian deported Jews from the Carniola region and converted the synagogue to a Catholic chapel, which was demolished in the 19th century.

The current building at Židovska steza 4 in Ljubljana's city centre was build before the Ljubljana earthquake in 1895 and since then has offered a place for several functions. In the 1930s there was a restaurant, after the Second World War it became a music school and later a craftsmen's workshop. The attempt to inhabit the place again with a restaurant was luckily abandoned – the idea to establish a gallery prevailed with the help of architect Alenka Sfinigoj, who at the time lived in the building.

Exhibition space

dimensions: 34m² (7.5m x 4.5m x 3.3m H) incorporating 13 linear metres of wall space
installation system: glass panels (11 glass panels 1m x 1.8m and 6 glass panels 0.33m x 1.8m)
lighting: halogen lighting system
climate control: none
sales policy: sales not permitted
security: security system installed

External links

Architectural Gallery DESSA

Contents

Background

History of the building

Exhibition space

See also

External links

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