Conclusion of International Symposium of Sculptors Forma viva

At the conclusion of the 30th International Symposium of Sculptors Forma viva in Kostanjevica na Krki, two new wooden sculptures will be opened, made by this year’s participants, sculptors Nina Tovornik (Ljubljana) and Lucija Jelić (Zadar) in the one-month period of the duration of the symposium (1 July – 1 August 2025).

This year’s symposium also includes the renovation and reconstruction of the iconic sculpture by artist Dušan Tršar: Untitled from 1972. The reconstruction took place under the supervision and direction of restaurateur Aleš Vene, and in close collaboration with sculptor Mitja Stanek and artist Dušan Tršar.

The Brass Orchestra from Kostanjevica na Krki will perform at the opening ceremony.

The sculpture by artist Lucija Jelić is entitled Victory. It refers to the history of human race, to the constant demolition and construction, to the destructiveness of the human kind and the manipulativeness of political and public discourses. The composite sculpture ironically highlights the idea and form of the triumphal arch, which is one of the indicators of modern human characteristics such as competitiveness and violence. The sculpture of collapsed and decayed festive architecture alludes to the ruins and remains of a civilisation that has nothing to look forward to in the current situation of immense social and environmental disparities.

The sculpture by artist Nina Tovornik entitled Eat, My Brother’s Horses, is made from one solid piece of oak wood and represents a variant of modern totem, referring to the overwhelming greed of humans. In a highly expressive manner of chainsaw-modelled sculpture, the monumental piece represents a mythological monster that embodies the collective desire and hunger of the human kind for the accumulation of both the material goods and the symbolic statuses. In doing so, the artist critically analyses global neoliberal turn of modern societies and makes a monument to unrestrained consumerism.

About International Symposium of Sculptors Forma viva:

The International Symposium of Sculptors Forma viva is one of the most important ongoing manifestations in the field of visual arts in Slovenia. Forma viva was conceived from the very beginning as a unified brand of national significance, which began operating in 1961 at two work sites, in Kostanjevica na Krki (from 1961) and Seča in Portorož (from 1961), and later expanded for a short period of time to work sites in Ravne na Koroškem (1964-2014) and Maribor (1967-1986). Each of these locations is (was) focused on material that is characteristic for the region: in Kostanjevica na Krki the sculptural material is oak wood, in Seča stone, in Ravne na Koroškem metal and in Maribor concrete.

Kostanjevica na Krki has a long tradition of using oak wood from the nearby Krakovo forest. The symposium in Kostanjevica na Krki was organised annually in the period 1961-1966, and was later transformed into biennale (1968-1988). In 1988, after turbulent socio-political changes the symposium ceased to operate for a decade but was revived in 1998. Since then Kostanjevica na Krki has biennially hosted international artists, who are selected through an open call. More than 100 sculptures that were made during the symposium nowadays surround Galerija Božidar Jakac and the town of Kostanjevica na Krki.