19. 9. – 21. 10. 2025

On view at Gallery Gong and Gallery EPIC, in Nova Gorica.

The theme of this group exhibition, which includes artists from Slovenia, Italy, and Austria, is conceptually rooted in the Nova Gorica area, where the border emerges as a multi-layered phenomenon. Its content does not refer solely to the border as a physical division—which, especially in the post-war period, has indelibly influenced life in the border area—but also explores the notion of “borderlines” in the contexts of social status, sociology, psychology, and gender. It draws on the fundamental definition of a border as the act of distinguishing and defining the “other”—someone standing opposite us or perceived as different, less worthy, less “civilized”.

The extraordinary historical moment in which we live confronts us with numerous significant challenges—ecological, health-related, political, and, in recent times, unfortunately, also military. Pandemic restrictions, the complex issues of migration, and the actual wars on Europe’s eastern and southern borders present major challenges for artists as well as for exhibition organizers. This exhibition aims to broaden the understanding of borders and borderlines, subtly including pressing social issues with a focus on current events and phenomena. We are particularly interested in metaphorical and conceptual approaches in contemporary photography, through which the authors investigate the visual and symbolic potential of the medium. At the same time, the project includes high-quality documentary works that speak about the state of the world at this historical juncture. At a time when migration, pandemics, and wars have once again drawn new barriers, the exhibition opens a space for reflection, empathy, and critical understanding of the world around us.

The exhibition project is structured into several thematic sections, each dedicated to different categories of “borderlines”: from physical and symbolic boundaries that become permanently inscribed in the lives of communities and individuals, to reflections on various manifestations of confinement, social restrictions, transitions/metamorphoses, and extreme psychological states.

Participating artists:

Uroš Acman, Goran Bertok, Eva Petrič, Gregor Radonjič (SI)
Valentina Iaccarino & Pietro Peresutti, Roberto Kusterle, Guilia Iacolutti, Fillipo Venturi (IT)
Vincent Forstenlechner, Branko Lenart, Marko Lipuš, Markus Guschelbauer, Christoph Grill (AT)

Production: Galerija Gong in Galerija Photon
Curators: Nataša Kovšca in Dejan Sluga

Catalogue

TVSLO Kultura

Primorska newspaper

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