Gulag Institute for Contemporary Arts and Cultures

Gulag Institute is a private non-profit, organisation founded by Zoran Srdić Janežić, Petja Grafenauer Krnc, Jana Putrle Srdić and Gorazd Krnc in 2006. The Gulag Institute focuses on development, research and production of contemporary art and culture. Its main activity is co-production of visual art exhibitions of its members and other collaborating artists. They mostly work in the field of sculpture, performing art, public events and round table discussions and publish catalogues and artist's books.

Projects

In collaboration with MKC Maribor Youth Culture Centre and Maribor, European Capital of Culture 2012 Gulag co-produced a street performance Intellectual whores by Zoran Srdić Janežič and Jana Putrle Srdić. The performance took place in Maribor on May 25th 2012 in the context of Performa Festival. Intellectual Whores discussed the (under)use of intellectual potential of Slovene female intellectuals.

A contemporary sculpture project Public Sculpture: The Slovenian square, Kranj took place in Kranj in autumn 2011. The project aimed to search for new possibilities of sculpture in public space and discussed the role of the public monument in terms of memories. The public actions by Jernej Mali, Andrej Štular and Zoran Srdić Janežič established a dialog with public sculptures by Lojze Dolinar on the Slovenian square in Kranj. Several local experts and sculptors including Dušan Tršar, Marko Arnež and Nika Leben participated at the public discussions at the Municipality of Kranj.

Projects by Zoran Srdić Janežič

Gulag Institute produced or coproduced many projects by Zoran Srdić Janežič such as the exhibition and performance Corpus Indeterminata that was presented in December 2011 in the gallery of the Sculpture Association and in the Alkatraz Gallery where visitors could see a sculpture cast of artist's body with a pig head, made from lard and cracklings.

Zoran Srdić Janežič: Proteus anguinus Carnium by Zoks on Vimeo

Gulag also produced Zoran Srdić Janežič's art project Proteus anguinus Carnium (2010) that included sculpture, graphic folders, artist's book and a performance by Boštjan Gorenc Pižama and a project How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood in Hest 35 Gallery in 2009. The same year Gulag coproduced a painting exhibition by Gorazd Krnc in Nova Gorica City Gallery.

Contemporary Art Tea Parties

The 'parties' were organised from 2006 to 2009. They were prepared by Petja Grafenauer Krnc, Jadranka Ljubičič and Zoran Srdić Janežič in co-production with KUD Mreža Arts and Culture Association and Alkatraz Gallery. Monthly meetings aimed to promote discussion and constructive dialogue about contemporary art and took place in the Alkatraz Gallery. There were round tables about various topics such as contemporary art events, writing about art, activism, comic books, street art, presentations of young artists etc. In 2009 the Contemporary Art Tea Party accompanied the Biennial of Graphic Arts.

Publications

Gulag Institute publishes catalogues and artist's books which are usually part of an art project that includes different media such as Proteus anguinus Carnium which was presented at the exhibition Prints and Impressions (April 2012) at International Centre of Graphic Arts, Ljubljana where visitors could get a free copy. Gulag also published Kiparski projekt: Javno kiparstvo: Slovenski trg Kranj (Public Sculpture: The Slovenian square, Kranj) and an artist's book of 40 drawings of cat-like creatures (2008) by Zoran Srdić Janežič titled Tomislav Vrečar: I'm watching a friend in the morning, how he is playing with a cat after a poem by Tomislav Vrečar.

Collaboration with theatres

An independent part of Gulag Institute is its workshop for planning and realisation of scenic design, painting stage scenery, construction of various mechanisms, three-dimensional objects, prototypes and other facilities. It manufactures puppets, masks, mascots, props, scenic and costume elements for various theatres: SNG Drama Ljubljana (Scenes from an Execution), SNG Maribor (7 Stories), SNG Nova Gorica (Skurt), SLG Celje (The Flags), Mladinsko Theatre (King Lear) and other smaller theatres.

External links