Slovenian Project Exploring Ideology and Art Launched in Venice
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According to curator Tevž Logar, Cibic is trying to reveal the nature of the relationship between ideology and art.
Cibic said in a recent interview with the STA that her project was adjusted to the specifics of the Slovenian pavilion and the context of the Venice Bienale as the leading exhibition of contemporary art.
The Venice Bienale is a relic of the 19th and 20th century exhibitions at which the imperial super powers showed their power and influence by presenting "exotic exhibits" from all of their territories, according to Cibic.
This is close to what is being referred to as "soft power" in recent decades, showing a state's international influence through its culture.
Cibic's installation will spread across the entire Slovenia pavilion, which will be reshaped into the Slovenian National Assembly, the country's parliament house.
A total of 11 still lifes from the National Assembly's collection will also be exhibited.
The walls will be decorated with multiple images of Anophthalmus hitleri, a beetle found only in Slovenia. The beetle is a kind of a national icon but also controversial because it was named after Adolf Hitler. It raises the question of what can qualify as a national treasure.
The beetle was discovered in 1933 by Slovenian natural scientist Vladimir Kodrič in a cave near Celje in central Slovenia. In order to categorise it, Kodrič turned to collector, dealer and German sympathiser Oskar Scheibl from Zagreb, Croatia, who gave the beetle its name.
The installation will be rounded off by two videos, one focussing on the Anophthalmus hitleri and the other on a debate from 1957 on the selection of works of art that should be used to represent the country.
The Venice Bienale officially kicks off on Saturday.