Talk and screening
Wednesday, 18 December 2024, 7 pm
Photon Gallery, Trg Prekomorskih brigad 1, Ljubljana
Video artist, director and performer Ana Čigon explores social-critical themes and analyses contemporary neoliberal society, the inhumane treatment of refugees and the struggle for dignity and recognition of LGBTIQ+ individuals, workers and women. Her practice is characterised by irony and humour, making complex topics accessible and understandable for her audience. She often collaborates with other artists and theorists.
At the Video Evening, she will present her feminist artistic practice of the last ten years. She will show selected excerpts from video documentation of her performances. She has thematised several artworks by different female artists, individual female artists and some essential female figures from the past. She will present a selection of audiovisual works, reflecting on the transitions between the different genres in which she works, such as video art, documentary and experimental film, and animation. She will conclude by presenting the practice of long-term research and collective reflection on selected topics through video talks and artistic collaborations.
Ana Čigon (1982, Štanjel) is a multidisciplinary artist working in video, film, performance and drawing. She graduated in painting and received her MA in video from the Academy of Fine Arts and Design, University of Ljubljana. She also completed her MA in Interface Cultures at the Universtität für künstlerische und industrielle Gestaltung Linz, Austria.
She is known for her satirical short videos and colourful animations of cats, which address pressing political issues. Her artistic practice uses an experimental approach to video and film, digital cut-out animation, drawings on paper, digital collage, spatial video installation and performance to explore and critique different aspects of contemporary society, focusing on marginalised voices and social inequalities. Key works such as Dear Ladies, Thank You; Rebellious Essence and the video Discovery Beyond Transparency (for which she received the OHO Group Award) exemplify her commitment to highlighting historical female figures and critically exploring contemporary social issues.
Ana Čigon has exhibited in a range of respected institutions, including the Škuc Gallery in Ljubljana, Stacion – Center for Contemporary Art in Priština, Likovni salon Gallery in Celje, and Kibela in Maribor. Her videos and films are part of important collections such as DIVA Station, the video archive of SCCA-Ljubljana and the Slovenian Film Archive in Ljubljana. She has participated in influential art events like the U3 Triennial of Contemporary Art and Crises and New Beginnings: Art in Slovenia 2005–2015, both presented at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Ljubljana and the exhibition For Your Pleasure. Feminist Positions in Visual Art in and from Slovenia at Museum of Modern Art, Ljubljana. Her work was featured at several international venues, including Istanbul Modern in Turkey, Apollonia in Strasbourg, France, and the ISCP (International Studio & Curatorial Program) in New York, where she completed an artistic residency. Her films have been showcased at numerous international film festivals, including CINEMED – International Festival of Mediterranean Film in Montpellier, France and Experiments in Cinema International Film Festival in Albuquerque, USA. She has received several awards for her audiovisual works, most recently a special mention at the Slovenian Film Festival 2024. (Photo: Nada Žgank)
www.anacigon.si
Ana Čigon at DIVA Station
At Video Evenings with DIVA Station, we host authors who are included in the archive and invite them to talk about their work and the background behind creating individual video projects. The presentation in the gallery (artist talk) is accompanied by projections with comments, followed by a conversation with the audience. The Video Evenings are prepared by Vesna Bukovec, a professional associate of the DIVA Station archive of video, film, and new-media art.
Production: SCCA-Ljubljana/DIVA Station, Photon Gallery
Supported by: Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia and City of Ljubljana – Department for Culture
