Mit - Index

Mit - SINFO 2008 04 - 8 - Index

s o C i e t y
text: joŽE oStErmaN, Photo: Sta
two SlovENIaN ExHIbItIoNS IN
bruSSElS
In mid-May, ‘PleËnik Project’, an exhibition on the works
of Slovenian architect, Jožef PleËnik, opened at the Royal
Museum of Fine Arts − one of the most prestigious exhibition
rooms in Brussels. The exhibition is one of the key pillars in the
representation of Slovenia during its Presidency of the European
Union. In addition to this exhibition, other key presentations
include, from the Slovenian perspective, a concert by the
Slovenian Philharmonic in Brussels, as well as exhibitions on
Primož Trubar and Slovenian impressionists in Ljubljana. ‘PleËnik
Project’ was opened by Vasko Simoniti, the Minister of Culture
and prepared by the National Gallery of Slovenia in Ljubljana
in co-operation with Boris Podrecca, a world renown architect
of Slovenian heritage, who actually spends most of his time
working in Vienna. Porch undoubtedly deserves primary credit
for the world’s discovery of PleËnik, as he was the main author
of the breakthrough exhibition in the Parisian Centre, Georges
Pompidous, from where PleËnik’s reputation spread, so to speak,
across the entire world. The Brussels exhibition, of course,
includes material that was presented in larger international
exhibitions of PleËnik’s work to date, with the addition of entirely
new presentations of municipal equipment designs and artistic
products of functional use, ranging from chairs to lanterns,
goblets and typography. His opus is also complemented by
sinfo april 08 26
original sketches and models, as well as film credits and other
records that pertain to the architect.
In the places occupied by the permanent Slovenian representation
in Brussels, there stands an exhibition entitled ‘Euro - European
Travels’, which was prepared by the Slovenian representation
and the Ministry of Finance and created by Branko ©mon. The
exhibition components are created from cut up euro bank notes.
In his works of art, the author explains that the euro is changing
into the central international currency. and pays tribute to poet
France Prešeren, who is portrayed on the bank notes, and to
friendship, of which the poet speaks.
coNfErENcE oN culturE IN tHE
ExtErNal rElatIoNS of tHE Eu
Helena Drnovšek
Zorko
At the beginning of May, a two-day conference on culture entitled
‘New Paradigms, New Models: Culture in the External Relations
of the EU’, took place in Ljubljana. The conference allowed for an
open discussion among high ranking politicians and individuals
who come into contact with the areas of culture and external
relations on a daily basis, but rarely speak on either topic. At issue
is not only the question of how we may approach another nation
with a particular festival or cultural event, but how, through
the use of cultural content, we can reshape external relations
into a deeper and more weighted contextual complex that can
positively influence international relations, emphasized Helena
Drnovšek Zorko, Head of the Sector for International Relations at
the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Head of the Sector
for Culture, Multilingualism and Communication at the European
Commission added that culture couldn’t, overnight, play a greater
role in the external relations of the Union, but that several good
starting points were offered at the conference to this effect.