Pivka House of Culture

Exterior of Pivka House of Culture.

The story of Pivka House of Culture (Hiša kulture) began in 1998 when a group of artists occupied an empty space in the center of Pivka and arranged it in such a way that a wide range of cultural activities became possible. Here, a program began to unfold that covered the entire field of contemporary urban culture, and the gallery has consistently been a focal point of these activities. The new team that took over Hiša kulture in 2013 put the gallery program at the forefront and began to develop and expand it with various funding programs. Today, Pivka House of Culture is the most important contemporary art gallery in the region between Ljubljana and Koper.

The programs of Pivka House of Culture present contemporary trends in the visual arts, with a focus on unconventional and progressive authorial approaches. Special attention is paid to young and independent artists whose work shows an interest in social issues, a critical attitude towards the existing, and an exploration of alternative worlds. In this way, the gallery aims to contribute, within its means, to creating a better society.

The gallery's guiding principles for its programming are relevance, independence, critique, and freedom.

Entrance to the Pivka House of Culture.

Programmes

Exhibitions

The program presents the ongoing production of visual artists through solo exhibitions held monthly from October to May. Part of the program is devoted to survey exhibitions and thematic or topical group exhibitions, which take place from June to September. The program also includes an ongoing public mural project in the town of Pivka, Painted Pivka (2022–).

Exhibition space at Pivka House of Culture.

Creativity

The program is dedicated to artistic creation in the field of printmaking, mainly in the techniques of screen printing and relief printing (woodcut, linocut), as well as the production of art publications. The program takes place in the printmaking studio of Pivka House of Culture, which is one of the main strengths and special features of this space. The program includes the projects ZAPATE – Zin and Print at the Exhibition (2015–), PIVKA 45°40′49.63″N 14°11′46.98″E (2015–2021), and Poems in Prints (2022–2025), the by-products of which become part of the permanent collection of graphic works.

Graphic studio at the Pivka House of Culture.

Education

The program promotes an understanding of contemporary art through a range of activities alongside the exhibitions and permanent collection, transforming the gallery into a space to play, explore, and implement new ideas. The program includes creative workshops on the exhibitions, various forms of gathering in the gallery, and activities for organized groups of children and young people. Valuable additions to the program are the original gallery game activities, entitled Let’s Switch on the Lights in the House and Let's Build the World Anew in Every Hue.

Original gallery game activitiy, a board game Let’s Switch on the Lights in the House.

Collection

The permanent collection is emerging as a by-product of the projects that are part of the gallery's creative program. The ZAPATE – Zin and Print at the Exhibition (2015–) project is aimed at artists who have a solo exhibition at Pivka House of Culture. It enables them to create a graphic work or an art publication as a visual document of the exhibition.

Permanent collection of graphic works, Pivka House of Culture.