New Exhibition
Opening: 02.09., from 7:00 PM (presentation of ETC. Magazine), from 8:00 PM (exhibition opening) Duration: 02.09. – 10.09.2023
Working hours > Tue-Fri: 2-8 PM / Sat: 10 AM-3 PM
Enej Gala, Øleg&Kaśka, The Witch Twins: FEVER DREAM
Become part of an imaginative adventure and join us for the opening of the FEVER DREAM exhibition. Featuring the works of artist Enej Gala, the collective Øleg&Kaśka, and the duo The Witch Twins, the exhibition unveils universes where anything is possible, where the fantastic becomes real, and where dreams suddenly carry the weight of reality.
The evening kicks off at 7:00 PM with the presentation of the latest issue of ETC. Magazine, a publication that raises critical questions about art, culture, and contemporary society. Following that, precisely at 8:00 PM, the exhibition will open.
About
Waking up in a dream means entering worlds where everything is possible. The topography might look foreign at first glance, but one can quickly realise that the contours are familiar, reminding us of worlds we have already heard of and that we have, in fact, already seen them in a slightly different rendering – perhaps on an evening walk through the city, in old history textbooks or as children, enchanted by puppets in a darkened theatre. It might be the reminiscence of daily events placed among the hills and valleys of dreamlands, soft and welcoming as pink cotton candy. The familiarity of these worlds is kind of soothing, and their abstractness stirs up thoughts of new possibilities, of new stories based on different, magical words for describing already known feelings.
Exhibition Fever Dream opens ports to strange dream-like universes. Selected projects merge elements of the past and current zeitgeist, forming imaginary worlds where even at times when unbearable feelings of anxiety and hopelessness creep upon us, there is at least a promise of a silver lining – an armoured hero, a magical coat, a possible exit door to another world where humanity is not yet doomed but only presented with an epic quest. These stories are implausible and remain anchored in fiction; they are aware that they are not necessarily factual descriptions of real events, yet we can catch a glimpse of the real world reflected on the shiny surface of the dreamscapes.
And just like that appears a surreal world of The Witch Twins, where a mysterious duo is wandering the empty landscape on their magical quest. Videos saturated with big shiny headpieces, bold makeup and unknown alchemist symbols, merge styles of homemade VHS records and sci-fi movies before the CGI times, evoking bitter-sweet memories of fantastic stories we forgot about while growing up. A mystical world that sprouted and evolved among four walls of a Predanič brothers’ student dorm consists of different elements, influenced by drag culture, 60s and 70s aesthetics and their own childhood memories, forming a refuge, perhaps kinder and more accepting reality, welcoming all those misfits who don’t conform to the norms of our society.
Enej Gala creates an imaginary world filled with characters merging into one another and occupying structures that are subverting their real-world roles, taking advantage of the ambiguity of the materials they are made of. He refers to Richard Teschner, a puppeteer who worked in Prague and Vienna in the first half of the twentieth century, creating an artificial world that enables us to rethink our time, its shifts, tensions and paradoxes. The figures he creates leave room for interpretation, their expressions or a lack thereof revealing an internal struggle, perhaps not assumed at first glance. Whimsical at first, they always appear more complex as we take a closer look at their existential situations.
Everything I Knew Has Become Yesterday’s Dream (2022) by Øleg&Kaśka is a story about fear and uncertainty of the future in the context of today’s world crises. The narrative of the story includes possible scenarios of the future, which Øleg&Kaśka envision as an escalation of violence. Rooted in the symbolism of war, medieval times and religion, two works, Where the Future Grows and Banner of Rebirth, talk about escapism and fatality while also addressing the current and predicted condition of society and the environment in general. Artists use storytelling to create a complex environment in which every work is interconnected and has a symbolic meaning, creating an immersive setting reminiscent of a fairy tale.
Øleg&Kaśka is a collective superorganism founded in the summer of 2018. In their artistic practice they combine different media like painting, sculpture, video or fragrance to create immersive environments. Using language, which is a hybrid of mythology and pop culture, their works are rooted in the dilemmas of the Generation Z and address the responsibility to deal with the world crisis originating from the climate crisis. They graduated from The University of the Arts in Poznań in Poland in 2020 (MFA) and have exhibited their work in many institutions and galleries in Poland and abroad, such as Zacheta National Gallery of Art in Warsaw, MoMA in Warsaw, :SKALA Gallery in Poznan, Gdansk City Gallery, Berlinskej Model in Prague, Spread Museum in Entrevaux, Sonneundsolche in Düsseldorf, and others.
Alen in Robi Predanič (1994) make videos for musicians and bands from all around the world. Their work has been shown at various Slovenian film festivals, such as the Festival of Slovenian Film (Portorož), Festival Tresk (Ljubljana) and LGBT Film Festival (Ljubljana). At the latter, they received the 2022 Pink Dragon Award for the best Slovenian short film for their film Marjetica v postelji. Their video for the song Mushroom Kingdom by the Australian band Sunfruits was played on the legendary Australian TV show Rage. They were one of the 30 finalists for the CIRCA x Dazed and Confused Magazine Class of 2022, which meant that their short film The Witch Twins was played on the iconic Piccadilly Lights screen in London and on other big screens in Berlin, Seoul and Melbourne. The exhibition at UGM Studio was the Predanič brothers’ first presentation in a gallery context.
Enej Gala (1990) expands narration in his artistic practice by questioning traditional perspectives on painting, performative sculpture, puppetry and video, and by exploring different forms of production through frequent collaborations. He received his BA and MA in painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice, and completed a Postgraduate Programme at the Royal Academy Schools in London. During his studies, he also attended the Willem De Kooning Academy in Rotterdam. He participated in group exhibitions in Slovenia, Italy and the UK as well as presented his work in numerous solo exhibitions. He lives and works between London, Venice and Nova Gorica.
Image Credit
Jaka Juhant, variation on the cover of the second issue of ETC. Magazine, 2023.
Impressum
Curator: ETC. Magazine with Lara Reichmann
Visual Identity: Zoran Pungerčar
Exhibition Design: Dorijan Šiško
Partners of ETC. Magazine: Galerija Fotografija, Kino Šiška, Look Back and Laugh, Ravnikar Gallery Space
The project is supported by: Ministry of culture of the Republic of Slovenia
