International Centre of Graphic Arts, Ljubljana

Established in 1986, the International Centre of Graphic Arts (MGLC) is housed in Tivoli Mansion. It runs the Ljubljana International Biennial of Graphic Art, maintains an international collection of graphic arts, and organises thematic exhibitions that question the graphic media today.

History

The idea of establishing MGLC dates back to the mid 1970s as a direct consequence of the development of International Graphic Art Biennials and the enormous growth of contemporary graphic art production in Slovenia during that period, especially represented by the Ljubljana Graphic Art School.

This idea was advanced by the secretary of the Ljubljana International Biennial of Graphic Art Zoran Kržišnik, then director of the Museum of Modern Art. In 1981 the MGLC Foundation commenced its first activities and began to adapt the Tivoli Mansion. In 1987 the MGLC moved from the Museum of Modern Art to the renovated mansion positioned majestically at the end of the Plečnik "promenade" in Ljubljana's Tivoli Park.

Mission

Beside the organisation of the Ljubljana International Biennial of Graphic Art and the organisation of other contemporary art exhibitions MGLC preserves also Slovene and international collection of prints, artist books, art projects in magazines and on billboards, and other printed art materials. It also edits print editions in the techniques of lithography, silkscreen and intaglio and offer the workshops about printing techniques.

Collection

The MGLC collection comprises over 3,600 fine art prints, 800 artist books and numerous other art publications dating from 1955 on. The works are mostly donations of participants at the Ljubljana International Biennial of Graphic Art and other artists producing graphics in the MGLC print workshops.

The collection also comprises art prints of some representatives of the École de Paris as Zadkine and Picasso, works of international established artists as Robert Rauschenberg, Victor Vasarely, Emilio Vedova, Maria Bonomi and also representatives of the Ljubljana Graphics School. The collection also includes artist books of international and Slovene artists such as OHO Group, West East Publications edited by Franci Zagoričnik, Damien Hirst and further great names of art history as Boltansky, Lewitt, Opalka, Buren, Roth, Reiner, and Yves Klein.

Each year MGLC acquires some works. Beside the works of 4 Slovene artists (Vesna Črnivec, Janez Knez, Tanja Lažetić and Petra Varl) in 2008the MGLC also acquired 4 works of foreign artists including White Cube Book of James Lee Byars from 1986 and 54 publications of Bernard Villers entitled Publishing house Remorqueur and Nouveau Remorqueur Archives.

Programme

In addition to the organisation of the Ljubljana International Biennial of Graphic Art the MGLC organises regular art shows, including surveys of national artistic creativity and exhibitions by individual artists, often in collaboration with international institutions such as the British Council Slovenia, French Cultural Institute Charles Nodier, Ljubljana or private collection such as Rene Block Edition from Berlin. In 2010 presented Block the Quartet–Four Biennials Reflected in Prints, the exhibition of print portfolios from four biennials (Hamburg 1985, Sydney 1990, Istanbul 1995, and Cetinje 2005). It presented more than 80 graphic works by 60 well-known and established artists of different generations and different geographical settings as Joseph Beuys, John Cage, Nam June Paik, Lawrence Weiner, Tony Cragg, or Rosemarie Trockel, Ayşe Erkmen, Rebecca Horn, Marina Abramović, Nevin Aladağ, Maja Bajević, Luchezar Boyadjiev, Danica Dakić, Braco Dimitrijević, Edi Hila, Irwin, Sanja Iveković, Šejla Kamerić, Vlado Martek, Dan Perjovschi, Marjetica Potrč, Anri Sala, etc.

In 2009 MGLC featured May ’68 in Paris and the Student Movement in Ljubljana, 1968–1972 Posters, Film, and Photographs – the exhibition presenting around 80 posters, loaned by the Centre de la Gravure et de l’Image imprimée in La Louvière (Belgium). Created for the events in Paris, these images has become synonymous with the urban struggle. The protests changing the traditional values of society soon spread across the world, encompassed Yugoslavia as well, including Ljubljana. The student movement in Ljubljana, from 1968 to 1972 presented the exhibition by documentary film of Majda Širca (the current minister for culture of Slovenia), the student newspapers Tribuna and SP (standing for slovensko podzemlje – the Slovene underground), leaflets and announcements, and photographs of Tone Stojko, Edi Šelhaus, and Žare Veselič.

In non-biennial years MGLC prepares at least 4 up to 8 exhibitions. In 2009 the MGLC featured for the very first time in Slovenia the exhibition inspired in and mirroring the phenomenon of computer games entitled Screenshots: I Was Disappointed by Lara Croft and prepared by external group of Slovene curators Milan Kleč, Lev Menaše, Helena Pivec, Barbara Novakovič and Boštjan Borič, what is the practice of the MGLC that also widely cooperates with foreign artists.

In 2008 the MGLC featured the exhibition conveying the tumultuous times of the 1980s in Slovenia entitlled FV, Alternative scene of the Eighties shedding light on the important social and artistic events of a period in which significant shifts were happening on the margins of the socialist society that made also possible the appearance of the first gay and lesbian clubs, independent publishing houses, multimedia groups, and other forms of countercultural creativity.

Complex themed exhibitions reflecting political or social atmospheres of the chosen area are often featured in the MGLC. In 2008 the exhibition Why, Miss, You’re as Pretty as a Poster! The Ljubljana Poster Between the Wars showed more than 150 posters that appeared in public locations throughout Ljubljana in the period between World War I and World War II informed people about current political happenings, called on them to vote, announced the sinking of the railroad, warned them of the evils of drink, invited them to the circus, the theater, and the cinema, advertised such brands as Zlatorog, Ilirija, and Peko and such products as cigarettes, bicycles, motorcycles, and even cars.

MGLC stages as well solo presentations of Slovene and foreign artists. Recently were featured projects by Štefan Galič, Regina Pessoa, Gabrijel Stupica, Zora Stančič and Petra Varl, Herman Gvardjančič and others.

Education

The Centre organises various community activities, including Beside the workshops for professional artists, organises the Centre workshops of various graphic techniques (linocut, lithography or silkscreen workshop) and workshops for children, a graffiti art workshop and traditional Graphic Art Flea.

Occasionally the MGLC organises also symposia, lectures and public discussions with invited artists, publishers, curators and experts from abroad and guided visits to accompany exhibitions.

External Links

International Centre of Graphic Arts Website (in English)

International Centre of Graphic Arts, Ljubljana

Contents

History

Mission

Collection

Programme

Education

See also

External Links

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Financed by