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Skupinska razstava Vračanje pogleda prinaša pogled na izsek ustvarjalnih procesov in praks skoraj šestdesetih slovenskih oziroma na Slovenskem delujočih umetnic od devetdesetih let preteklega stoletja do danes. Gre za zaokrožen, nikakor pa ne zaključen pogled na omenjeno obdobje, katerega umetnostnozgodovinski narativ je glavnina avtoric odločilno zaznamovala – nekatere izmed njih so umetnostno prizorišče že zapustile, spet druge nanj šele vstopajo. Marsikatero od izbranih del velja za referenčni zgled določenega časa ali pa je pionirsko v avtorskih pristopih in izvedbi. Vrsta eksponatov se osredotoča na specifične družbene tematike, vprašanja identitete, spola, feminizma in reprezentacije umetnic v umetniškem sistemu. Pozornost je bila namenjena tudi umetnicam, ki so vztrajale pri določenem izrazu, poetiki, formi ali konceptu, in tistim, ki so omogočile bolj sistematičen pogled na določene dogodke iz preteklosti. Vsako izmed del je povezano z večnimi preizpraševanji, najsi projekti raziskujejo človeka, njegov odnos do soljudi, okolja in drugih oblik življenja, ali pa opredeljujoče ga tehnoznanstvene in družbenopolitične okoliščine.
Z obsežnim prikazom slik, skulptur, videov, performansov, intervencij in zvočnih dogodkov ter dopolnjujočim ga diskurzivnim programom – od predstavitev, projekcij filmov do pogovorov in razprav – želimo vzpostaviti dialoška razmerja med deli oziroma projekti različnih generacij umetnic, različnih medijev, praks in motrenj, ter se osredotočiti na izbrane pojave v sodobnem slovenskem umetnostnem prostoru. V iskanju skupnih točk in tudi z odkrivanjem prekrivajočih se razmislekov, konceptov ali zgodb smo z upoštevanjem oblikovanja celostne zgodbe, ki jo sestavljajo fragmenti iz izredno plodne umetnostne produkcije zadnjih tridesetih let, kustosinje oblikovale štiri vodilne tematske sklope: osredotočajo se na urbano in naravno krajino, telo oziroma figuro, umetnostni sistem ter družbenopolitično okolje.
Čeprav se pri marsikateri umetnici omenjene teme povezujejo in prepletajo, smo skozi te nekoliko ohlapne, pa vendar opredeljujoče pojme prostorsko postavitev ustvarile v »smeri pogleda«, ki bi kar najbolje poudaril posamezne likovne, vsebinske in konceptualne povezave med avtoricami ter njihovimi koherentnimi in bogatimi poetikami. Določene teme, predvsem pa mediji na razstavi niso dobili svojega prostora, kajti potrebovali bi vsaj še enkrat več galerijske površine, da bi jih mogli prikazati. Na slovenskem umetnostnem prizorišču je namreč veliko število odličnih umetnic – ilustratork, fotografinj, arhitektk, grafičnih, industrijskih in modnih oblikovalk, filmskih ustvarjalk – ki bi si to zagotovo zaslužile.
»Smer pogleda«, zaznamovana je tudi v naslovu razstave, odpira večno vprašanje o tem, kdo gleda in kdo je predmet pogleda, ali drugače, kdo je tisti, ki se sooča s pogledom drugega. V knjigi, nastali po znameniti BBC-jevi televizijski seriji Ways of Seeing, se John Berger prebija skozi stoletja zgodovine slikarskih in kiparskih mojstrovin in se sprašuje o načinih gledanja na žensko. Podoba ženske, ne glede na to, ali je bila prikazana v metaforičnih ali ikonografskih vlogah, je bila neštetokrat predmet želje in zadostitve moškemu pogledu, umetnice pa so vse prevečkrat ustvarjale daleč od oči javnosti. Zanikane, nerazumljene in pred ne tako davnimi časi tudi še marginalizirane.
Kustosinje: Alenka Gregorič, Mara Anjoli Vujić, Mateja Podlesnik, Alenka Trebušak
Sodelojoče umetnice : Nika Autor, Lela B. Njatin, Uršula Berlot Pompe, Suzana Brborović, Mateja Bučar, Jasmina Cibic, Lea Culetto, Dragica Čadež, Špela Čadež, Ksenija Čerče, Tina Dobrajc, Eclipse, Elena Fajt, Feminalz/Tatovi podob, Meta Grgurevič, Olja Grubić, Sanela Jahić, Duša Jesih, Andrea Knezović, Metka Krašovec, Ema Kugler, Tanja Lažetić, Maja Licul, Polonca Lovšin, Aprilija Lužar, Sanja Nešković Peršin, Špela Petrič, Alenka Pirman, Irena Pivka, Marjetica Potrč, Nataša Prosenc Stearns, Marija Mojca Pungerčar, Nataša Ribič, Lina Rica, Rene Rusjan, Maruša Sagadin, Duba Sambolec, Ana Sluga, Mojca Smerdu, Maja Smrekar, Saša Spačal, Zora Stančič, Robertina Šebjanič, Nika Špan, Apolonija Šušteršič, Neja Tomšič, Polona Tratnik, Milena Usenik, Aleksandra Vajd, Petra Varl, Kamila Volčanšek, Tanja Vujinović, Irena Z. Tomažin, Joni Zakonjšek, Mojca Zlokarnik, Zdenka Žido, Nataša Živković, Janja Žvegelj
RETURNING THE GAZE
2022
The group exhibition Returning the Gaze offers a glimpse into the creative processes and practices of nearly sixty women artists, all either Slovenian or working in Slovenia, from the 1990s to the present day. It offers a rounded though by no means exhaustive overview of a period whose art historical narrative has been largely shaped by many of the artists featured, some of whom have already left the art scene, some who are just entering it. Many of the works in the exhibition are either characteristic of a particular period or groundbreaking in their approach or execution. Some of them focus on specific social themes, such as issues of identity, gender and feminism and the way women artists are represented in the art system. Special attention has been paid to female artists who have consistently adhered to a particular style of expression, approach, form or concept, as well as to those who have enabled us to view certain events in the past more systematically. Each of the works in the exhibition deals with perennial preoccupations such as human nature, human relationships, be that with other people or the environment or other forms of life, and the impacts of techno, science, society and politics.
The exhibition offers an extensive selection of paintings, sculptures, videos, performances, interventions and audio events, as well as an accompanying programme of presentations, film screenings, lectures and discussions; the aim being to shed light on aspects of today’s Slovenian art scene by creating dialogical relationships between the works of artists from different generations, all using different media, practices and approaches. In searching for commonalities and overlaps within these works, while also seeking to combine fragments from the prolific art production of the last thirty years into an overarching story, the curators have identified four main themes: urban and natural landscapes; the body or figure; the art system; and the socio-political environment.
For many artists these themes are inseparably connected, but these loose yet defining concepts have helped us design the gallery space to follow the “direction of the gaze”, so as to bring out the various visual, thematic and conceptual links between the artists and the coherent, multifaceted ways in which they express themselves artistically. Some themes and media have had to be omitted, simply because they would have required at least twice the gallery space we have available. This is regrettable, since the Slovenian art scene can boast many excellent women artists – illustrators, photographers, architects, filmmakers and graphic, industrial and fashion designers – who would certainly have deserved to be included in the exhibition.
This “direction of the gaze”, also alluded to in the exhibition title, addresses the eternal question of who is doing the looking and who is being looked at – who it is that is being confronted with the other’s gaze, in other words. In his book based on the famous BBC television series Ways of Seeing, John Berger explores the centuries-long history of painting and sculpture, highlighting the ways in which women have been looked at. Regardless of whether their role in the art work is as metaphor or iconographical element, women have consistently been presented as objects of desire intended to satisfy the male gaze. And this has been compounded by the fact that women’s artistic creativity has all too often been hidden from the public eye. Denied, misunderstood and, until fairly recently, marginalised.
Participating artists : Nika Autor, Lela B. Njatin, Uršula Berlot Pompe, Suzana Brborović, Mateja Bučar, Jasmina Cibic, Lea Culetto, Dragica Čadež, Špela Čadež, Ksenija Čerče, Tina Dobrajc, Eclipse, Elena Fajt, Feminalz/Tatovi podob, Meta Grgurevič, Olja Grubić, Sanela Jahić, Duša Jesih, Andrea Knezović, Metka Krašovec, Ema Kugler, Tanja Lažetić, Maja Licul, Polonca Lovšin, Aprilija Lužar, Sanja Nešković Peršin, Špela Petrič, Alenka Pirman, Irena Pivka, Marjetica Potrč, Nataša Prosenc Stearns, Marija Mojca Pungerčar, Nataša Ribič, Lina Rica, Rene Rusjan, Maruša Sagadin, Duba Sambolec, Ana Sluga, Mojca Smerdu, Maja Smrekar, Saša Spačal, Zora Stančič, Robertina Šebjanič, Nika Špan, Apolonija Šušteršič, Neja Tomšič, Polona Tratnik, Milena Usenik, Aleksandra Vajd, Petra Varl, Kamila Volčanšek, Tanja Vujinović, Irena Z. Tomažin, Joni Zakonjšek, Mojca Zlokarnik, Zdenka Žido, Nataša Živković, Janja Žvegelj
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