Community.env

The group exhibition Community.env presents the works of young artists whose common point in artistic practice is the question of man's relationship with his environment in which he lives. This year, this environment is narrowed down to the concept of urban space. It includes urban planning, different urban areas, community spaces, parks, third landscapes, suburban areas and architecture. Based on the idea of the importance of community and quality of life in the city, presented in this exhibition are various artists of the younger generation, whose practice deals with urban planning, architecture, environmental protection, the human factor, capturing the pulse of the city, real estate issues and quality of life in the city. Among them are graphic artist and illustrator Ema Kobal, photographer Carolina De Matthaeis, conceptual duo DILEMA, intermediate artist and environmental activist Nejc Trampuž, artist Jernej Čuček Gerbec and artist collective Kvadratni meter.

The exhibition is part of the program of the so-called ECOART Festival, which takes place every year at the Y Gallery. In terms of content, the festival deals with issues of ecology and environmental protection, with the aim of raising awareness of local and global changes and protecting the environment and society. Ecology, as the science of the relationship of organisms to the environment, consequently also applies to the urban environment. The exhibition Community.env therefore refers to human activities in the city, community spaces and public areas such as parks, squares, gardens, sports fields, art spaces, multipurpose spaces, as well as intermediate spaces such as third landscapes, construction sites, streets, various buildings and suburban areas.

The exhibition presents different views and practices within the framework of the questions or themes posed, and presents them in a way that appropriately reflects the artistic language and content focus of each creator at a particular time. Using a sophisticated monotype technique, Ema Kobal explores communal spaces such as parks, sidewalks, embankments, skating rinks, and town squares. With his recognizable artistry, she brings the depicted places and their atmosphere closer in a way that fosters a positive attitude towards them and creates a desire to visit and consequently preserve them. As a newcomer to Ljubljana, Carolina De Matthaeis is concerned with alternative urban areas. She photographs refuges of local subcultures, graffiti, the area around Metelkova, Rog and Tobačna with a focus on cultural events, skater culture and architecture. DILEMA Tandem similarly engages with the pulse and functioning of spaces. It explores the chosen space and its topography, examining and interpreting found objects understood as mysterious sediments stored over time in a story archive. Intermedia artist Nejc Trampuž, who likes to speculate about space and explore how it works, using digital collages to create utopian cityscapes, begins his collages in the popular genre of solar punk with the idea of the perfect city. Jernej Čuček Gerbec treats public spaces and the city through the conceptual prism of everyday life, familiarity, and recurring events associated with specific places and memories. In line with its activist practice, the artist collective Kvadratni meter addresses real estate issues and the importance of quality of life for all residents, focusing on the problem of restriction and disappearance of public spaces. The exhibited works in techniques such as sculpture, video installation, digital collage, analogue photography and performance are in line with the content of the location of the exhibition space, which is located in the heart of the city centre and only a stone’s throw away from the legendary, now former autonomous space. The title of the exhibition is now traditionally associated with the technological starting point or programming command. .env, in relation to the exhibition, represents the need for continuous review and validation of the environment for the public.