Thursday, 14. 7. 2011

'Who are we?' art exhibition

The Kresija Gallery is the venue until 28 August 2011 of an exhibition of paintings by young artist Živa Žitnik entitled 'Who are we?'

Živa Žitnik was born in Ljubljana on 16 January 1981. She graduated in painting from the University of Ljubljana's Academy of Fine Art and Design in 2005 and completed her master's at the painting department in 2008. She lives and creates in Ljubljana.

The artist showcases portraits of her friends and acquaintances at the exhibition. They are intimidating and fragile in their directness. In some way they live their lives in the imagined space of the images, capturing the moment to establish a link between the viewer and the subject. Via the aggressive use of colour and violent brush strokes they read the thoughts of passers-by and impose themselves on the fringes of their cognitive-experiential space in the intermediate space where it touches the cognitive-experiential space of the artist. It is exactly in this intermediate space between the viewer in front of the picture and the identity of the picture that self-awareness can arise, as it always occurs in relationship to another. The honest views depicted have extreme power of speech and it is just that which simultaneously attracts and repulses at the sight of Živa's portraits. The ability of the artist to transfer her feelings via the human image helps the viewer to sense the presence of others and in this way find themselves in others.

The exhibition was opened by Dr Uroš Grilc, Head of the City of Ljubljana's Department of Culture on Monday 18 July 2011.

At 5pm on Tuesday 2 August 2011 there is an opportunity to have a guided tour of the exhibition led by art critic Alenka Trebušak.