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Srečno 2013
Happy 2013

IRWIN

Time for a new state.
Some say you can find happiness there.

The Slovenian Box
Unveiling the Neue Slowenische Kunst archive
Curatorial by Michele Drascek

18/12/2012 – 26/1/2013
Opening: 18/12/2012, 19:00

“In the 1980s, art and culture made fundamental contributions to the social and political change with which Slovenia entered the last decade of the second millennium”.
Neue Slowenische Kunst played a radical and leading role in this charged time. A highly complex and multi-faced organization, its impact extended beyond the subculture of 1980s Slovenian scene to the whole of Eastern Europe. And further.

In revealing the archive of Neue Slowenische Kunst, we give to the public the opportunity to experience the vibe that the collective brought to UK, the feelings instilled in the audience and the response provoked within the cultural scene during those years. This, through the selection and display of significant items from the Neue Slowenische Kunst archives in Slovenia and the David Gothard archive in London. In fact, in 1980s, Gothard was uncovering contemporary culture in Yugoslavia and bringing it to the attention of audiences in London and UK.

And it was in London that I came across a box of material from Slovenia almost two years ago. The resurfacing of the Slovenian archive in London started with the meeting with David Gothard. Knowing that I was based in Ljubljana, he shared his memories related to Slovenia. During long conversations, we proceed in unearthing deep connections between London and Ljubljana. And, right after, Gothard revealed the presence of an archive contained in a box labeled ‘The Slovenian Box‘. We came up with the plan to organize and file his box, containing mostly Neue Slowenische Kunst items from the 80s. The research that followed put in context the content of ‘The Slovenian Box’. Slowly we uncovered, shaped and presented the stories which form the history of Neue Slowenische Kunst.

The research developed as proper fieldwork in Ljubljana, where most of Neue Slowenische Kunst archives are located. Through meeting with Laibach member Ivan Novak, I gained access to Laibach Kunst archive at MGLC International Centre of Graphic Arts. IRWIN archive was collected in AVA Academy of Visual Arts, where IRWIN’s member Miran Mohar and the Academy director Pepi Sekulich gave me the opportunity to be based and where from that moment on I have been collecting new material that enriched the archive. The search on New Collectivism, coordinated with Darko Pokorn, took place in his studio, which houses a systematized archive. I acquired further information on Scipion Nasice Sisters Theatre during intensive meetings with Dragan Zivadinov, held either in his studio or in Modern Art Gallery.

Building a net with the former members of Neue Slowenische Kunst enhanced the understanding of past events. The priority was to define and classify an archive. But curating an archive enables its transformation from what could be describes as a collection of items to a revealing body of knowledge. And so, the archive was exhibited in London, at Chelsea Space, giving the start to a series of successful events on Neue Slowenische Kunst that shaped new interest and enthusiasm around the collective and its powerful presence in the cultural and political scene of the Eighties.

Exhibiting archives helps all the actors involved – artists, archivists, curators, publics – to reconfigure meanings in the contemporary. It happened in London. And since every place and space has its own specificities, Stacion Center for Contemporary Art Prishtina represents a new call and challenge for the Neue Slowenische Archive. In Prishtina, particularly dear to David Gothard, the archive meets new cultural and political specificities and originates, anew, different interpretations and questions. ‘The Slovenian Box’ is brought again to life and speaks loudly.

A short clip / visual report from the KOHLE IST BROT underground show in the Coal Mining Museum of Slovenia, in Velenje, October 19th, 2012, composed by Tomislav Gangl.

A COZY STATE CEREMONY BY NSK STAAT LIPSK
ON OCCASION OF TOMAŽ HOSTNIK’S 30th DAY OF DEATH (*1961 + 1982)

The original vocalist of Laibach, Tomaž Hostnik, killed himself by hanging from a kozelec, a Slovenian hay drying scaffold. His brutally dehumanized performance in Laibach’s monumental spectacle has since fascinated fans and critics alike; the mortuary cult surrounding the late frontman complements and contrasts with the staging of Laibach and NSK as anonymous collectives.

Serving ginger bread and glogg, NSK STAAT LIPSK presents screenings, music and critical knowledge about the subject, as well as a preview of NSK State activities in 2013 featuring guest speakers from NSK STAAT DRESDEN and NSK Nuernbach-Laiberg.

Kulturny Dom B31 -  Bornaische Str. 31  -  Leipzig/Germany – 20/Dec/2012 – 8pm/20 Uhr

Manchester Metropolitan University, Department of History, Politics and Philosophy (Politics section) present a seminar on the aesthetic and political issues around NSK, accompanied by an exhibition of NSK Folk Art.

14^th November 2012

15:00 – 17:00

Geoffrey Manton Building, Oxford Road,M15 6LL

- Seminar in Lecture Theatre 5

- Folk Art Exhibition in Geoffrey Manton atrium

Neue Slowenische Kunst (a German phrase meaning “New Slovenian Art”), a.k.a. NSK, is a political art collective, which came into being in Yugoslavia in 1983.  This seminar will consider the NSK State in Time, focusing especially on political and artistic issues.

Speakers:

Alexei Monroe – author of Interrogation Machine: Laibach and NSK

Paper Title: “NSK Folk Art; Art, the State and Improbability“.

Stevphen Shukaitis (University of Essex) – author of Imaginal Machines
Paper Title: “Temporary Hegemonic Zones“.

Ian Parker (MMU) – author of Slavoj Zizek, a Critical Introduction
Paper Title: “I see a red door and I want it painted black“.

Michael Goddard (University of Salford) editor of Mark E Smith and the Fall: Art, Music and Politics

Paper Title: “You will see darkness: Laibach TV and Audiovisuals from the Bravo TV Interview to Iron Sky“.

Please arrive between 2pm and 3pm to view art and receive passport authentication or temporary papers.

This event is free, open to all and does not require pre-registration. For further information email Mike Tyldesley: M.Tyldesley@mmu.ac.uk

The seminar will be followed by an evening club night “Vade Retro” with free entry for holders of authenticated papers.