MLADEN STROPNIK WITH JEFFOM DODSON, ETHAN CAFLISCH & THE NOODLE: DRUŽMIRJE

>> The exhibition will open on Thursday 8 June 2023 at 7 p.m. 

>> Curator: Jernej Kožar

The starting point of Mladen Stropnik’s exhibition Družmirje are works on paper; prints, drawings, or sculptures, some of which have been upgraded for the artivive.com app. In terms of the motif, Stropnik’s works move between repetition and abstraction. They introduce a process of change that hints at the infinite – spatial, temporal or spiritual – and reflects the immeasurable depth of our inner lives.

Družmirje was a village in the municipality of Šoštanj, which submerged into Lake Šoštanj in the late 1970s as a result of lignite mining beneath it. Lake Šoštanj is one of the deepest lakes in Europe, reaching a depth of 90 metres. For Mladen Stropnik, Družmirje represents a place of society and peace, both of which are contained in its name. He feels the place is emotionally internalised and inscribed in him, and is the cause of his development and state of mind, to which he always returns. When he thinks of Družmirje, he thinks of »observation«, »being«, »flowing thoughts«, »the slalom of his gaze« and that he is »living the right way«,

Mladen Stropnik (1977) was born in Slovenj Gradec and grew up in Velenje. His works have been shown in numerous exhibitions at home and abroad. He is the recipient of the Prešeren Student Award and the OHO Awar. He lives and works in Ljubljana.