Opening of the Prepletanja exhibition in the Monfort Gallery in Portorož
The 2025 Exhibition Programme in the Monfort Gallery in Portorož opens with the introduction of the first of two of last year’s winning projects of the Odprta vrata (Open Doors) public call. The group exhibition entitled Prepletanja (Intertwining) will present 12 Istrian artists of the younger generation. They all come from Istria which has always been an area of intertwined and fragmented entities as well as diverse political and cultural influences. The historical marginalisation of the Croatian part of Istria is also reflected in contemporary art where young artists, despite their excellence and innovativeness, operate within the local scene and remain without the appropriate valorisation in the wider national and international contexts.
The exhibition was created as a collaboration between the Piran Coastal Galleries and the Labin Town Gallery and is an exemplary case of international cooperation. It unites young Istrian artists who, with diverse approaches and concepts, create in non-traditional media. The exhibition is the space of a dynamic dialogue between personal expressions and common cultural and social themes artists devote special attention to: the topic of migrations, environmental issues, and scientific-research themes. The curator of the exhibition, which will be open for visitors in the Monfort Gallery from 4 April until 25 May 2025, is Stephanie Peršić, while the exhibitors are: Alex Brajković, Eni Blašković, Glorija Blazinšek, Meri Files, Alison Ivašić, Anja Juričić, Gaia Radić, Gea Rajić, Marina Rajšić, Dora Ramljak and Nina Turina, and Karmen Bradovent.
Opening of the Bojan Mijatovič exhibition at the Meduza Gallery in Koper
At the end of April, Bojan Mijatović will exhibit at the Meduza Gallery in Koper. This will be the first solo exhibition in Slovenian Istria for the author of the younger generation (Ljubljana, 1989) of visual artists, who recently moved to Koper. Mijatović graduated in photography from VIST in 2014, and in 2023 he completed his master’s degree in painting at ALUO. He is mainly active in the field of photography and painting. He has presented his works at numerous group exhibitions at the Kino Šiška and the Photon Gallery in Ljubljana, the Layerjeva Hiša in Kranj, the Cultural Centre in Kamnik, the Glass Atrium of the Town Hall in Kranj, etc. Among his solo exhibitions, it is worth highlighting: +MSUM, Ljubljana; Der-die-das Garage / Garaža, Ljubljana; Pešak Night Exhibition Gallery, Ljubljana and Kreativna četrt, Kamnik. His popular series Animals and Friends, which the author has worked on through different periods, was exhibited at this exhibition venue. A reinterpretation of fragments of animal images from the aforementioned cycle will also be on display at the Koper Exhibition Centre. The exhibition will open on 25 April and will be on display until 7 June 2025.
On display in the exhibition spaces of the Piran Coastal Galleries
The Loža Gallery in Koper is hosting a group exhibition Miscellanea, stories and artworks from the depots of the Piran Coastal Galleries until 18 May 2025. It is based on material from the collection and, based on available museum documentation, reveals how the artworks were acquired. A little over twenty artworks by the artists: Luca Alinari, Mirsad Begić, Ruggero Carlesso, Braco Dimitrijević, Enej Gala, Zdenko Huzjan, Jaka Jeraša, Matej Košir, Erik Lovko, Gail Clair Morris, Mimmo Paladino, Graziano Pompili, Andraž Šalamun, Aleksander Velišček, and Tilen Žbona, some of which have not been exhibited before, come from various collections, which is why the artworks in the exhibition are equipped with a documentary apparatus that provides information about the artwork, its author, and the collection. The exhibition is a rare opportunity to view a segment of the artistic heritage stored in depots and in a way reveals the character integrity of the past collecting policy of the Piran Coastal Galleries.
A small group exhibition entitled Paintresses from the Littoral from the Collections of the Piran Coastal Galleries is on display at the Meduza Gallery in Koper until 13 April 2025. It includes works of art by female artists from different generations from the Littoral. They are connected by their status in the collection, gender, and affiliation with the region from which the artists come and in which they create. The seven selected artists – Mira Ličen, Majda Skrinar, Fulvia Grbac, Beti Bricelj, Joni Zakonjšek, Lara Jeranko Marconi, and Ira Niero Marušič – are presented with paintings, works on paper, and graphics that are kept in the Piran Coastal Galleries’ art collections. All exhibited works are accompanied by critical notes contributed by Brane Kovič, Žiga Dobnikar, Andrej Medved, Nives Marvin, and Majda Božeglav Japelj. The exhibition is also accompanied by a brochure with reproductions and a critical text by curator Tatjana Sirk, which will be presented at a meeting with the artists and art critic Andrej Medved on Saturday, 22 March 2025, at 11 a.m. at the Meduza Gallery.
The Piran Civic Gallery presents a solo exhibition entitled Nostalgia by the established artist Gani Llalloshi. Floral compositions on large canvases pulsate in lush bloom and fill the entire gallery space. The paintings hide motifs by Andy Warhol, Klimt’s Art Nouveau vegetation, and folk art from the artist’s childhood memories. All of the above resonates in a rich and intense colour palette. Llalloshi’s painterly confession invites the viewer into his intimate world, into the circle of his family, where the artist, his wife, and his daughter meet in dreamlike images. On view until 4 May 2025.
Pedagogical and adult education programme
As part of the creative project with the working title When a Line Appears (at an Exhibition with a Painter), which will consist of workshops and a final exhibition, participants of all ages will learn about the diverse motif world of the Piran painter Herman Pečarič. This artist lived and created in Piran for many years. He loved the Istrian landscape and towns by the sea, which is why he donated more than a hundred paintings, prints, and drawings to Piran, which are now kept in the gallery bearing his name. He most often used pencil, ink, charcoal, and chalk for drawing.
With a lively line, soft, curved, thin, straight …, he was able to skilfully emphasise its character and capture the essence of the image. We will immerse ourselves in his worlds, landscapes, city streets, squares, portraits, animals, and moments from everyday life. With the help of drawing tools, we will try to draw our own images and discover how much we can express with simple lines. The workshops will take place at the Herman Pečarič Gallery from 1 April to 18 May 2025 and will conclude with an exhibition.
