Screening and talk
Friday, 19 September 2025, at 7 pm
Inner courtyard of Škuc Gallery, Stari trg 21, Ljubljana
PROGRAMME
Sprawling. New entries in the DIVA Station
Participating: Jaka Vatovec, Sasha Ihnatovich, Jatun Risba, Lea Culetto, DNLM, Polonca Lovšin, Nejc Trampuž
Curator: Vesna Bukovec
Duration: 45′
The selection of new works in the DIVA Station archive is linked by the theme of nature as a space of various forms of endangerment, but also of regeneration and survival. It is not only the natural cycles of decay and death and the confrontation with one’s own inner demons (False Magic) and biological processes (Leftovers, part two) that are dangerous and frightening, but above all, the aggressive actions of humans, directed both at their fellow humans and at the destruction of nature. Refugee routes run through forests, meadows, fields, and rivers, posing a danger of violent police detention and inhumane treatment. “We need help. Humanity, not money,” says a refugee (Not Go Gentle). Aware of the many deaths of nameless people on their way to a better future, swimming in the sea can no longer be just an innocent pleasure. We are also drowning in the climate crisis that we have caused through the excessive use of fossil fuels. These still dominate natural energy sources (enerRrgy). Humanity leaves behind a trail of destruction in nature. Despair, but we must not give in to it. Hope for the future lies in resilience — the resilience of people who have nothing left to lose (Not Go Gentle), responsible treatment of nature (Human Leave No Traces), and nature’s resilience, which will outgrow and transform the material traces of civilization (Mushrooms Are Taking Over!). The answer to the threat of technology abuse is the responsible use of artificial intelligence and the cooperation of the open-source community for peaceful coexistence and the preservation of nature in the future (Rooted in Code).
Slovenia, 2023, 6′ 14″
The video metaphorically addresses life with obsessive-compulsive disorder. It consists of numerous scanned analog color photographs of close-ups of flowers and other plants, details of various architectural elements, images of the sky, and unrecognizable motifs. The images are grainy, composed of atypical colors, random compositions, and failed shots. The series of photographs, carefully assembled, closely follows the rhythm of the author’s soundscape and creates an intense cathartic effect.
Slovenia, 2022, 5′ 26″
Idyllic villages hide traces of pain and suffering that people have inflicted on others. With a subtle yet direct approach, the film opens up space for the testimonies of those who cross borders in search of safety and peace, only to encounter humiliation, violence, and torture instead of refuge. Despite everything, they do not give up.
Slovenia, 2023, 9′ 7″
The video was shot near the Cerano coal-fired power plant in Puglia, southern Italy, and shows the somatic disturbance near the clash between naturally available energy sources (sun, tides, movement) and the extractive energy industry. It offers an unconventional perspective on contemporary discourses about energy by creating and reclaiming a space for non-conceptual, body-centered, aesthetic, and intuitive approaches to inhabiting the world. Such counter-position cultivates more balanced, broad-spectrum strategies for addressing the challenges of current and future power crises.
Slovenia, 2025, 4′ 14″
Hair. Valued as long as it is alive. As long as it grows on the appropriate parts of the body. Desired as long as it has the right colour, texture, thickness, shape, and length. As long as it is tamed. As long as it does not fall out. Unwanted if dead. It evokes unpleasant feelings, shame, and even disgust. Except for intentionally removed hair. The first lock of a child’s hair cut in a memory book. A strand of hair from an absent loved one in a locket. It becomes an object that transcends the material body. A memory with DNA. A talisman.
Slovenia, 2024, 2′ 32″
The intervention occurs spontaneously during a weekend trip to the countryside. Next to a trash can, benches, and small pieces of trash on the ground, the artist notices a hand-painted sign with the words “Human, do not leave your traces.” After a short rest, he decides to follow the instructions on the sign.
Slovenia, 2023, 4′ 9″
Fungi have incredible powers of transformation: they turn rocks into soil, produce medicinal compounds and toxins, cause hallucinations, clean up radioactive soil, and break down crude oil and plastic. The video visualizes how fungi transform everyday objects, buildings, and cities into fertile soil for a new beginning.
Slovenia, 2023, 13′ 23″
Dogajanje filma je postavljeno v leto 2057. V onesnaženem mestu se na strehi enega od nebotičnikov bohoti permakulturni vrt, zanj pa The film is set in the year 2057. In a polluted city, a permaculture garden flourishes on the roof of one of the skyscrapers, tended by a robot gardener and an elderly botanist. This animated film, created using artificial intelligence, speculates on the degraded state of the environment, nature, and the ecosystem in the future, but at the same time presents a utopian vision and solutions to the environmental crisis. It also includes the question of the impact of artificial intelligence on our society, everyday life, and the environment.
VideoGarden (VideoDvorišče) is a programme of curated screenings and talks on art, video, and film. In the spring-summer period, we step out of the dark cinema and the cold gallery space into the open air. In collaboration with Škuc Gallery, we organize screening events in its inner courtyard.
DIVA Station is an online and physical archive that SCCA-Ljubljana has been developing since 2005 to research, document, archive, and present art film, video, and new media art.
In case of rain, the screening will be held in the gallery.
The talk with the present artists will be held in Slovene.
Free admission.
Cover image design: Brina Vidic
Organization: SCCA-Ljubljana/DIVA Station, Škuc Gallery
Supported by: Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia, City Municipality of Ljubljana – Department of Culture
