Archival article
Since 2013, the EPeKa Scientific and Research Association has run the EPEKA Gallery at Koroška Street 8. It functions as an exhibition venue of the EPeKa Scientific and Research Association for Art, Cultural and Educational Programmes and Technology, Social Enterprise, which has been active on the Maribor and Slovene cultural scene since 2008.
The galler hosted many local and international renowned authors, among them Tomaž Lavrič, Marjan Manček, Stojan Grauf, Konstantin Selikhanov, Brina Torkar, Serena Luna Raggi, Selma Selman, Marijan Amalietti.
Programme
Before the establishment of the Epeka Gallery the association organised its exhibitions in other venues both in Slovenia and abroad. After 2013, the core of Epeka's cultural production was shifted to the Epeka Gallery with larger exhibitions exhibited in other venues (e.g., Comic Heroes are Rescuing Europe in Maribor Art Gallery, 100 Years in the Balkans – The comic strip in resistance in the Belgian Comic Strip Center in Brussels, etc.).
Actually, Epeka Gallery focuses on exhibiting art produced by members of vulnerable groups, which is closely connected to their educational and entrepreneurial work targeting the Roma and other marginalised groups. For example, they organised one of the first solo exhibitions of the Roma artist Selma Selman and published her first comprehensive catalogue, which is also one of the few available publications presenting the work of a Roma artist in depth. Closely connected to this are exhibitions addressing marginalised groups, inter-ethnic tensions and social injustice.
On the other hand, the gallery also supports local and Slovene emerging artists looking for venues for their early solo exhibitions.
Festivals venue
The Epeka Gallery is a vital component of the local cultural scene cooperating with a broad array of cultural producers in the area both in terms of technical assistance or hosting exhibitions organised by some festivals – e.g., Festival of Photography Maribor, International Festival of Computer Arts (IFCA), etc.
See also