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Index of Slovene Art Since 1945 (Concepts, movements, groups, tendencies)
THE ENGLISH VERSION OF THE BOOK WILL BE PRESENTED IN 2011
Editorial Board: Robertina Šebjanič, Boštjan Špetič, Nadja Zgonik Phd, Gaja Zornada
Contributors to editorial Board: Gašper Rus (2005-2006), Nadja Gnamuš (2006-2007)
Editor in Chief : Nadja Zgonik Phd.
Book Reviewers: Tomaž Brejc Phd. , Jure Mikuž Phd
Published by: Študentska založba, Ljubljana and Academy of Fine arts and Design Institute, University in Ljubljana , 2009
This book sheds light on pivotal influences, groups, concepts and movements which established and decisively influenced the historical course of Slovenian art in the last six decades. From Social realism and Neue Slowenische Kunst (NSK) to graffiti and net art.
The book is a systematic overview of the last 6 decades Slovenian art, beginning in 1945 (after WW2) until today, depicted in sixty-three parts, saturated with informatively enriched articles which present key data, such as leading representatives and phenomena. The book observes and presents the study of phenomena, together with illustrations and selected literature for future reading and studies.
This book has been erected by the youngest generation of writers, artists, theoretics and historians - generation younger than 35. There was no publication like this, not even similar to this, for Slovene art, so it is not unexpected that the work is recognized as one of the most valued volumes of it’s kind to this date. It’s unique code-word coverage and observations of circumstance is now gathered at one place where basic data is accumulated and examined together with essential literature which will enable readers to be presented with holistic study of the subject.
Related aspiration for this particular work was “Groups, Influences, Movements in Contemporary Art from 1945” which was published by Parisian Ecole Nationale Superieure Des Beaux-arts (Slovene translation, Studia Humanitatis, 2003), however the French Academy publishers took on an overview of global art movements and the book was arranged by professors and acclaimed authors, while in our case the study of national specific phenomena was arranged by students.
Domains:
Art history, art theory, encyclopedia, contemporary visual arts.
When Robertina Šebjanič and I first started cultivating the idea that emerged years later in the public realm in the form of the first Slovene edition of the knowledge overview here presented in an online english version, we were students at the Academy of Fine Art and Design in Ljubljana eager to preserve material cumulating at seminar works for generations to follow our paths. As both our colleagues from across various art and humanities disciplines and our immediate academic environment responded favorably to the idea, we were more than happy to drive it forward mobilizing more than 50 contributors to form a community whose mission it was to create a base of relevant information upon which we could start forming an interconnected presentation of art phenomena in Slovenia. Using good examples from other projects, we were thrilled to see the project grow and develop, to receive response and to bring forward a work, that like no other before, presented the artistic legacy of a small but not insignificant nation. We take it as our next goal to present the works of our small country to international audiences , not because we feel so strongly that our art has to little exposure, but because we know that a complete and hipper-connected insight like this can be valuable to the readers, no matter what their interest in the topic is. Conclusions that our data analysis offers are there to be compared with other facts already known to the world and open alternative interpretations.
Everyone who is interested in learning about what is too often categorized under one name: Eastern Europe will find this book fascinating as well as the communities belonging to these territories and Americans who wish to discover more about the »new Europe«.
We believe that art enthusiasts, scholars and the artistic communities interested in familiarizing themselves with artistic developments in the ex-Yugoslavia and eastern Europe will be able to use the book as a solid introduction to a complete guide of art in Slovenia, which is important because of the ex-Yougslavia's specific political and cultural position in the space between the east and the west and specifically because a lot of the bridging and discovering of freedom took place in the most northern country of the former federation (Slovenia), which was bordering the artistic and cultural influence of Italy and Austria.
Especially Slovenian communities across the world will be able to continue and expand heir cultural education, enabling their members to have parallel readings of the national art history in both English and Slovene building strong ties with the content by means of visual representation.
This book is more about the undiscovered than about the forgotten, which works to the reader's advantage, taking him/her on a journey through uncharted territories in between east and west and enables him/her to catch a glimpse of the transformations influenced by geographical specifics as well as political influences, tracing the ways in which i.e. pop-art expressed itself in a land without consumerism as it has known in it’s primary environment, but still signaling changes in the way visual culture continued to develop. Putting forward concepts so novel as art in zero gravity and retrograde art -an oxymoron in itself combining the retro- with the avant-garde to provide us with novel concepts in postmodern art.
Amazing facts bring forward the tiny country stranded between the Adriatic and the Alps as the cradle of artistic masterminds who started as well as invented and pioneered net.art and reveal that there is much more than the classic images of totalitarian communist and socialist influences to what Slovene art has to offer.