A Mid-Stop

06 September 2012 > 24 September 2012 Alkatraz Gallery kindly invites You to the opening of a group exhibition:
M'art. The opening will take place on Thursday, 6th of September at 8pm at the Alkatraz Gallery. Participating artists: Edvin Dobrilovič, Tina Drčar, Tomaž Furlan, Damijan Kracina & Vladimir Leben (sound by Sašo Kalan), Miha Perne and Uroš Weinberger.
Kindly invited also to all other Mid-Stop project's events of the 19th anniversary of ACC Metelkova City.
Curators: Saša Nabergoj in Jadranka Plut; assistents: Ana Grobler, Sebastian Krawczyk and Simona Žvanut.

Programme of Mid-Stop:

Thursday, 6 September, 8 pm.
Opening of group exhibition: M’ Art, Alkatraz Gallery.
Artists: Edvin Dobrilovič, Tina Drčar, Tomaž Furlan, Damijan Kracina & Vladimir Leben (sound by Sašo Kalan), Miha Perne, Uroš Weinberger. Exhibition will be on view till September 24.

Thursday & Friday, 6 & 7 September, 4 pm.
Tina Drčar, workshop for children, Let’s paint the rocket, Hajlends park.

Thursday to Monday, 6−10 September, 9 pm–11 pm.
Marko A. Kovačič, TRAPOLO HH 36, video projection, area between Jalla Jalla, Pešci and Celica Hostel.

Friday, 7 September, 6 pm.
Urban Fine Art Projects at AKC Metelkova City, guided tour by Nataša Serec, Edvin Dobrilovič, meeting point in front of Celica Hostel.

Friday, 7 September, 7 pm.
Opening of exhibition: Meta Kastelic, Yellow Submarine, SCCA–Ljubljana Project Room, Metelkova 6. Opening hours: Saturday: 4 pm–8 pm, Monday to Tuesday: 10 am–5 pm. On view till September 12.

Friday, 7 September, 9 pm.
Opening of group exhibition Made in Metelkova, Bizzarnica at Mariča.
Artists: Rok Barborič, Tina Drčar, Dejan Pfeifer − Stripi, Mirč Matek, Jaka Mihelič, Rajko Miladić, Rok Mohar, Miran Pešič, Belatehnika & Beladona, Terrah. Opening hours: when the club is open and by appointment (phone: (1)434 03 45). Exhibition will be on view till September 25.

Monday, 10 September, 12 pm. Breakfast with mayor of ACC Metelkova City, terrace of building Pešci.

Monday, 10 September, 12 pm–2 pm. Open studios, buildings Pešci, Garaže, Hangar.
Artists: Rok Barborič, Tina Drčar, Boštjan Drinovec, Mitja Ficko, Vladimir Leben & Matej Bizovičar & Iskra Beličanska, Mirč Matek, Jaka Mihelič, Rajko Miladić, Boštjan Novak, Terrah.

Monday, 10 September, 9 pm.
Mizanthrope Tonfilm: Metelkova Archive, photo and video documentation, Jalla Jalla.

Monday, 10 September, 10.30 pm.
Neven Korda: Summary of Parallel Worlds. Artistic, Cultural and Political Aims of the Parallel Worlds, studio of Neven Korda, building Hlev.

DUEL: Conversation about visual art scene of Metelkova City, awareness of common place, attempt of defining its meaning for specific art practices. Moderator Jernej Kaluža. Infoshop.
Tuesday, 18 September. DUEL: Neven Korda & Damijan Kracina
Tuesday, 25 September. DUEL: Andrej Pezelj & Matej Bizovičar

Interventions in Public Space of AKC Metelkova City:
Borut Korošec, Pacman, 2012, front of the Bizzarnica at Mariča.
Karmen Jazbec, Lost Image, 2001, door of studio in the Garaže.
Boštjan Drinovec, Cacophonic Generator MM, 2012, in front of Viktor’s studio in the Garaže.
Boštjan Drinovec & Primož Oberžan, Wind Harp, 2007, the wall of the Garaže.
Boštjan Drinovec & Primož Oberžan, Zvonka, 2008, in front of the Garaže.

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The Autonomous Cultural Centre Metelkova City has walked a long way since the occupation in September 1993. The plans of its creators from the late 80’s whose intention was to establish a self-sustainable centre for art production and presentation have not been entirely fulfilled, but this is nevertheless physically as well as symbolically an exceptionally precious space, where numerous, especially visual artists have found themselves and each other. Lots have been written about the phenomenon of Metelkova City; there have been researches, bulletins, publications, yet nobody has really systematically studied its visual scene. It might have been so because this is not a spectacular aspect of Metelkova City, but actually its hidden part. Party-goers and those who attend the gigs here, the prevailing share of the visitors, are – as a rule - not even aware of the numerous studios hidden above the clubs.

The artists of Metelkova City belong to different generations, distinctly heterogeneous in their practices, their means of expression vary right from their outset, some of them are more inclined to fine arts, others to contemporary practice, some of them to spatial design, and others to what we could call craft. That’s why it is difficult to define the visual production uniformly, but Metelkova City dictates specific operational conditions of production that in one way or another affect the actual artistic practice of each individual artist. A contributing factor to the above fact is the situation itself, since the studios (even though they are - for a long period of time - obtained through public tenders and not by squatting) still require a skilful hand and personal engagement of the artist for renovation and to set up a work environment fit for use. It is exactly the ability, engagement, and willingness to co-operate that are crucial for the formation of the community of Metelkova City where individuals with practical and conceptual skills contribute their own share also outside their studio.

With its program the Alkatraz Gallery does point to the creativity behind the walls of the City,
however, it is no longer, like it was at the beginning (in the second half of the 90’s), intended primarily for presentations of the Metelkova City artists, as it has, gradually evolved into a competent contemporary international venue. As the Alkatraz team are aware of their specific role and tasks within the frame of the Metelkova City visual community, they have invited the team of the World of Art (SCCA-Ljubljana, Center for Contemporary Arts) to join in the creation of an exhibition-research project of the visual scene of the Metelkova City. Some from this team have been, nevertheless, linked with the team of Metelkova City all the way since its occupation and have collaborated and operated here in various ways, which makes us well-equipped for the job. At the same time, the joint project enables us a more systematic research work that usually gets left behind for the lack of time during the daily work tempo.

In October 2011 we began to research the history of the Metelkova City visual scene as well as the current visual production of the ACC Metelkova City. In less than a year, we have visited most of the studios, talked to the artists, and researched the artistic production and its contextual (Metelkova) frame. We are exploring the past, mapping the current situation, creating an archive for the future generations, but most of all, we would like to evaluate the production of Metelkova City within the wider context of the world of art.

For the current anniversary we are preparing a mid-stop of the research; establishing a platform presenting the Metelkova City artists, as well as the places (from the more to the less noticeable ones) where the visual production takes place, in an attempt to embrace the entire Metelkova City visual production at all its heterogeneous levels. We have thought up a Metelkova City puzzle, consisting of all possible formats: from exhibitions at different venues, interventions into public space, talks, performances and open studios, with the desire to give each artist an opportunity for a presentation adequate to her/his practice on the one hand, and a look into the artist’s work space and work process to a visitor on the other hand.

The research shall be concluded with the study’s exhibition, a publication, audio-visual archive, and a video-essay in September 2013, on the 20th anniversary of the ACC Metelkova City.

Saša Nabergoj

Photos by: Sunčan P. Stone

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