Projects of co-workers
Secret Heart
Solo exhibition by KOLEKTIVA (Vesna Bukovec, Metka Zupanič)

January 15 – February 28, 2014
Black Corner, Kosovelov dom Sežana
Opening: Wednesday, January 15, 2014, at 6 pm

We are informing you about a solo exhibition of KOLEKTIVA art group. One of the memebers is Vesna Bukovec, SCCA-Ljubljana's webmaster.

Curator of the exhibition is Mojca Grmek.

About the project

The project was made in 2010 when KOLKETIVA was invited to create a new edition of the Special Place in the City project in Warsaw. Special Place in the City is an ongoing project by KOLEKTIVA (Vesna Bukovec, Metka Zupanič, Lada Cerar) which comprises elements of sociological research about specific places with intimate values to the inhabitants of various cities. The initial project evolved over the years and become a platform for larger amount of individual projects concerning people, stories and places (more info).

The idea for the Warsaw project Secret Heart was inspired by an article Searching for Chopin, Finding Poland’s Past by Michael Kikmmelman published in New York Times on October 3, 2009. We learned that preserved Chopin’s heart is placed in a church in Warsaw. We think the fact that it stayed preserved even when everything around it was destroyed in the WWII is a great example and a symbol of survival and resistance. The absurd situation that a German general helped to save a national symbol of the very nation they wanted to destroy brings in an interesting twist. Since the heart’s whereabouts during the hiding are not known we find this secret place of hiding an actual special place of the city of Warsaw. KOLEKTIVA published international open call for a short story. By inviting people to write a story about the hiding place of the heart we were actually asking them for fiction stories about the course of events during the hiding of a heart which might be or might be not intertwined with real facts. In writing the story about the heart we see an opportunity for people to express their opinion and emotions in regards to the painful time of Warsaw Uprising and the WWII which has had a strong impact on the city and national identity.

More about the Secret Heart project

At the exhibition in Kosovelov dom Sežana, we will present the inflatable heart sculpture and an excerpt of the winning story by Thomas Desi translated to Slovene.

Vesna Bukovec

Kosovelov dom Sežana
Kosovelova ulica 4 a
6210 Sežana
Slovenia
www.kosovelovdom.si

Vesna Bukovec (1977) graduated and completed her MFA from the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana. She works independently and in the art group KOLEKTIVA (with Metka Zupanič and Lada Cerar). Her artistic work finds its expression in a variety of media (video, photography, drawing, installation) and approaches (research, appropriation, participation, etc.).
She presented her work in several solo (Centre and Gallery P74, Ljubljana, 2003 and 2005; Simulaker Gallery, Novo mesto, 2006; Miklova hiša Gallery, Ribnica, 2009; KAPSULA, Ljubljana, 2010; A+A Gallery, Venice, EX-garage, Maribor, Cankarjev dom, Ljubljana 2011; Mihelič Gallery, Ptuj, Alkatraz Gallery, Ljubljana, 2012) and group exhibitions (25th International Biennial of Graphic Arts, MGLC, Ljubljana, 2003; Territories, Identities, Networks: Slovenian Art 1995–2005, Moderna galerija, Ljubljana, 2005; Kunsthaus, Graz, 2006; Koroška Gallery of Fine Arts, Slovenj Gradec, 2008; U3 - 6th Triennial of Contemporary Art in Slovenia, Moderna galerija, Ljubljana; Where do we go from here?, Secession, Vienna; Minimal Differences, White Box, New York, 2010; OHO Award Finalists 2012, Vžigalica Gallery, 16th Slovene sculpture exhibition, Town Hall, Ljubljana, 13th Admission Free Festival, Celje, 2012 etc.).

[Published January 10, 2014]