Since I was a kid, I always knew I wanted to be a part of “art history movement”. And my wish finally came to realize, when I started studying Art History at the University of Ljubljana. However, just when I was about to finish, I recognized, that I know every subject by heart, but have no idea how to work in a museum or a gallery and therefore, what to do with all that knowledge.

Unfortunately, our studies there do not encourage students to participate with galleries or teach them what is needed to make a living out of it. Ergo, I started volunteer work in Museum&Galleries of Ljubljana and Museum of Natural History, where I came in contact with what this line of work actually means.

All my life I strived to be better and expand my horizons, so I frequently attend workshops that could help me in my future career. Along with everything, I enrolled in a two year program called “Muzej od blizu (Museum up Close)” in City Museum Ljubljana, where they taught us how the museums and galleries actually work. We also learned how to work in a team and what are different roles of team members.

During this time, I helped erect two exhibitions in Jakopič Gallery. I was taught everything from the start on how to place an exhibition in an explicit location (and I also helped with all “behind the scenes” stuff that visitors never acknowledge). That is when I realized what I really wanted to be when I grow up: a curator.

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Collaboration with Marija Skočir and artist Jože Ciuha on his retrospective exhibition.

I joined the only school in Slovenia that covers the subject (World of Art – School for Curators and Critics of Contemporary Art). It is a two-year program, where small group of students learn how to make it in an art world (methodology, Contemporary Art history, exhibition reviews, critical theory …). At the end we had to prepare a group exhibition that opened in May 2016. In the time of my studies there, I was also an assistant curator for two different exhibitions, which qualified me for the tasks I am facing in the future as a curator.

We were six curators working together on a project of erecting an exhibition, with a help of two renowned mentors (Miran Mohar, Alenka Gregorič). We are also trying to start a platform, an online archive of young Slovenian artists, which we would like to expand in time. Additionally, we would hold monthly meetings of curators and artists, where everyone could introduce their work. This kind of thing was missing in Slovenia, so we took an initiative to make it happen.

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A group of curators and mentors that helped me get where I am now.

The last few years for me were really the first time I could use my knowledge in a practical way. And I don’t want to stop now, I want to deepen my theory of curating and expand the theory on how to independently plan exhibitions. I want to find out what curatorial work I am really passionate about and explore and develop my own interests. At the moment my passion is not yet unveiled, because there are so many things that interest me and I want to try everything. In 2017 in finished the MA program of Curatorial Practice (Bath Spa University, Bath, UK) and graduated with Distinction on the topic of open calls.

The title of my dissertation is ‘Uncovering the Open Call Model’:

My dissertation analyses an open call model, which is a common way of producing exhibitions in today’s art world. An art institution sends out an open call with or without a theme, to which various artists respond. Then a process of selection commences, choosing the artworks that will produce a final exhibition. It is generally open for every artist, professional or ‘amateur’, who wants to show his or her work to the wider public. However, open exhibitions raise several issues, including why discussing open calls generates assumptions about the lack of curator’s knowledge and concerns relating to favouritism. Are these preconceptions responsible for creating a gap between the actual practice and the lack of literature on the subject? Talking to art professionals showed that open call exhibitions are a significant part of the art world and deserve a thorough discussion, which could possibly give higher acclaim to this recurrent model and adjust the rules through stronger regulations.  

Key words: open call, open exhibition, curatorial practice, curatorial bias, typology of exhibitions, selection process

In addition to writing articles about art and more general things, I was a personal assistant of the artist Kit Glaisyer and a director of Garden Gallery 48 , which had its home at Great Pulteney Street in Bath, UK, but is now a pop up.

If you are interested, don’t forget to check the exhibitions I was a part of. You can find them in the “menu” on my homepage or just scroll down.

My life took a bit of a turn since I returned back to Slovenia at the end of 2021. Curating will always be my number one passion, however, an interesting job opportunity threw me into a world of film and commercial production. I started work as a production coordinator at Bas Production and 2.0 film, deepening my knowledge of how the world literally works, as well as gaining amazing experiences and meeting new people from the industry. Simultaneously I am working as a project coordinator for AAMI Institute – getting invited to join their team was a dream come true.

I am very open to give you a hand, look at your work or prepare anything for you. Just give me a shout 🙂

MY BIBLIOGRAPHY:

  • mojpogled.com
  • honestcooking.com
  • pairmag.com
  • oblizniprste.si
  • »Revija Obisk – pozabljeni ilustrirani družinski mesečnik«. ArtFiks – journal for addicts of culture, volume I, no. 3, 2013, pp. 35–36.
  • »Koncept mesečnika Obisk v drugih revijah«. ArtFiks – journal for addicts of culture, volume II, no. 1, 2014, pp. 27–29.
  • »Zametki performansa pred letom 1968«. ArtFiks – journal for addicts of culture, volume II, no. 2, 2014, pp. 28–29.
  • »Impozanten sprehod čez antične ruševine«, exhibition review Josef Koudelka: Sledi/Vestiges 1991—2012, Jakopič Gallery, Ljubljana. Membrana, Revija Fotografija 2014.
  • »Subtilno erotična mavrica«, exhibition review Antonio Per: Ogledalo / Lo Specchio, Alga Gallery, Izola. ArtFiks – journal for addicts of culture, volume III, March 2015.
  • »Akademska prerisovalka«, exhibition review Vesna Bukovec: And if I Am Wrong?, House of Culture, Pivka. World of Art, SCCA Ljubljana, April 2015.
  • »Borga Kantürk: Memory research Office: Collect.Cut.Create.Re-Create«, exhibition book, Istanbul 2015.
  • »Irwin: Zgodnji grafiti projekti«, analysis of works from exhibition NSK from Kapital to Capital. Neue Slowenische Kunst – an Event of the Final Decade of Yugoslavia, Modern Gallery, Ljubljana. World of Art, SCCA Ljubljana, October 2015.
  • »Narobe obrnjeno – ne tako bela kocka«, exhibition review Inside Out – Not So White Cube, City Gallery, Ljubljana. World of Art, SCCA Ljubljana, January 2016.
  • »Ulično gledališče ali performans na ulici?«. ArtFiks – journal for addicts of culture, volume IV, February 2016.
  • »Brina Ivanetič: Telo in nič«, exhibition review Brina Ivanetič: Telo in nič, Atrium of Ljubljana Town Hall, Ljubljana. Razpotja, volume VII, no. 23, 2016, pp. 89–90.
  • »Osebno/Personal«, exhibition catalogue, Ljubljana 2016.
  • »To Make Art Out of Human Desires and Emotions, Fears and Concerns«, book review Maria Rus Bojan et al.: Whispers: Ulay on Ulay. Versopolis, European Review of Poetry, Books and Culture, August 2016.
  • »The significance of private World War I collections in Caporetto County, Slovenia«. The Museum Review, volume IV, number 1, June 2019.

    CURATED EXHIBITIONS:

    • Škuc Gallery »Day by Day« (Bariş B. Atal, Avgust Černigoj, Beli sladoled, Miha Perne, Leon Zuodar, Neža Jurman), Ljubljana Slovenia, December 2014–January 2015; assistant of curators Saša Nabergoj and Simona Žvanut
    • Škuc Gallery »Memory research Office: Collect.Cut.Create.Re-Create.« (Borga Kantürk), Ljubljana Slovenia, May 2015; assistant of curators Saša Nabergoj and Simona Žvanut
    • Škuc Gallery »Personal« (Boris Beja, Živa Božičnik Rebec, Nina Čelhar, Neža Knez, Maruša Meglič, Tejka Pezdirc, Pila Rusjan&Dejan Štefančič), Ljubljana Slovenia, May 2016–July 2016; in collaboration with Petra Bole, Zala Kurinčič, Hana Ostan Ožbolt, Mojca Sfiligoj and Katarina Stopar
    • 44AD Art Gallery and Artists Studios »Find another Bath«, Bath UK, November 2016; in collaboration with Anna Kot
    • Fringe Arts Bath Festival, Walcot Winterfest, 94-96 Walcot Street »48 Hours Notice (Fire and Light)«, Bath UK, November 2016; in collaboration with Sveta Antonova
    • Alga Gallery »Inhale/Exhale« (Antonio Per), Izola, Slovenia, December 2016–January 2017
    • Town Hall Arts »Exploited Reality« (Vesna Bukovec, Mery Gobec&Asja Trost, Automated Luxury (Clare Robertson), Pila Rusjan&Dejan Štefančič, Rajat Sharma, Helene Thümmel, Valerie Wolf Gang), Trowbridge, Wiltshire, UK, March 2017–April 2017; in collaboration with Amy Navarrete
    • 44AD Art Gallery and Artists Studios Annual Summer Open Exhibition eighthwonder »Law of Identity« (international open call), Bath, Somerset, UK, August 2017
    • Nash & Co office »Natalie Bedford, pop up show«, Bath, Somerset, UK, July 2018
    • Fringe Arts Bath Festival, FaB3, 15 New Bond Street »21st century Neanderthal«, Bath, UK, May-June 2019.
    • 44AD Art Gallery and Artists Studios Annual Summer Open Exhibition eighthwonder »(a)muse« (international open call), Bath, Somerset, UK, August 2019.
    • The Drawing Rooms »Jake Sheppard at TDR«, Bath, Somerset, UK, February-March 202.0

    EVENTS:

    • »Explore Art Trowbridge«, Town Hall Arts, Drawing Projects UK, Trowbridge Museum, Trowbridge, Wiltshire, UK, April 6 2017; in collaboration with Jo Beal, Hanne Dahl and prof. Anita Taylor
    • »Salon48«, Garden Gallery 48, Bath, Somerset, UK, June 18 2017; Kit Glaisyer, Richard White, Lawrie Duckworth
    • »Salon48«, Garden Gallery 48, Bath, Somerset, UK, August 20 2017; Luke Mitchell, Robert Luzar
    • »The Art of Running«, window display launch night for Running Bath, Bath, Somerset, UK, September 20 2017; in collaboration with Luke Waller
    • »Salon48«, Garden Gallery 48, Bath, Somerset, UK, September 23 2017; Jesse Perret, Fay Stevens, Jim Blackmann
    • »Salon48«, Garden Gallery 48, Bath, Somerset, UK, October 22 2017; Dan Bendel, Pasha Finn, Jessica Otterwell
    • »Salon48«, St James Wine Vaults, Bath, Somerset, UK, May 9 2018; Ruth Piper, Chloe Merilla Tyghe
    • »Salon48«, Assembly Inn, Bath, Somerset, UK, June 20 2018; Daniel Rushforth, Pre Valentina (Alec Wilson)
    • »Salon48«, BlackChalk Workshops, Bath, Somerset, UK, January 30 2019; Luke De-Sciscio, Victoria Bone
    • »Salon48«, The Bath Brew House, Bath, Somerset, UK, February 27 2019; George Wilding, Sylvia Hunt
    • »Salon48«, FaB3, 15 New Bond Street, Bath, Somerset, UK, June 6 2019; Poppy Clover, Jessica Otterwell, Dan Stothard
    • »River Phoenix was a Muse«, 44AD Art Gallery and Artists Studios, Bath, Somerset, UK, August 13 2019; Jessica Otterwell
    • »Salon48«, The Drawing Rooms, Beau Nash House, Bath, Somerset, UK, February 21 2020; David Lawrence, Psycho-Acoustic Goat