Solitudes: Expressions of Anxiety in the Visual Arts from the Prekmurje Region

The exhibition Solitudes. Expressions of Anxiety in the Visual Arts from the Prekmurje Region celebrates the centenary of the accession of Prekmurje and the unification of Slovenians from Prekmurje with their mother nation.

The exhibition deals with the theme of solitude, anxiety and melancholy as common denominators, which were – over the past fifty years – comprehensively expressed by various artists from Prekmurje. By addressing and discussing the horizon, emptiness and melancholy, the exhibition tries to explain the meaning and importance of these terms and establish how they are seen in the works created by the presented artists. At the same time, the exhibition shows that the artistic expression in Prekmurje does not differ from visual arts elsewhere, i.e. it is not an expression that can be noticed solely in this region and nowhere else. The art language and style in which it is expressed, is original and geographically unlimited, which makes it universal as it does not show any local or regional traits.

The goal of the exhibition was to present two segments. One is the high levels of creativity that we have witnessed in Prekmurje over the past fifty years, while the other is the attention to moveable heritage, as all exhibited and presented works come from the permanent collection of the Murska Sobota Gallery. Curator Dr. Robert Inhof has set up the exhibition in relation to the experience of the horizon as a border experience. This experience was interpreted by each individual artist presented in his or her unique way. The experience and the art language of the presented artists are universal.

Artists: Igor Banfi, Dubravko Baumgartner, Nikolaj Beer, Robert Černelč, Sandi Červek, Ladislav Danč, Marjan Gumilar, Štefan Hauko, Zdenko Huzjan, Nataša Kos, Franc Mesarič, Mirko Rajnar and Dušan Šarotar.

Curator: dr. Robert Inhof