NLB Group's international public call for young artists successfully completed

The NLB Group is not only a leading banking and financial group with its headquarters and exclusive strategic interest in Southeast Europe, but also an important supporter and patron of regional culture and art. The NLB MUZA, NLB's cultural heritage program consists of art and museum collections as well as museums and galleries of the NLB Group. The SEE Art collection, which was founded in January 2023, is part of the NLB MUZA program. By ordering, purchasing, presenting and promoting contemporary art, the NLB Group is becoming its main supporter and partner in Southeast Europe.

We were looking for works of art that fit the concept of the SEE art collection, which represents the different cultures, identities, and memories that have shaped our shared history in the South East Europe region over time. The collection aims to improve the understanding and knowledge of different cultural and social environments, to promote tolerance and diversity, and at the same time to give birth to new sustainable ideas and actions with various expressions of contemporary art. The new art collection offers an authentic and unique artistic experience, inspires and motivates, serves as a reflection of society and the environment, and plays an active role in enforcing ideas about premonitions of the future.

Among the 83 submitted works of art, after a careful review and evaluation, the international expert jury selected two works of art, which will have to opportunity to be exhibited at the opening exhibition in the new Bankarium gallery in city center of Ljubljana, which will be opened at the beginning of next year.

The author of the first selected artwork entitled From presence to memory and back is Arijana Kadić. It is an artistic performance in which the artist uses an inherited carpet as the central element, which acts as a portal connecting her to her ancestors, as a bridge between the present and eternity. The authors of the second artwork, which will be invited to the opening exhibition, are Dalea Kovačec and Marko Damiš, with their interactive installation entitled From Birth to Byte: A Generative Lifescape. It is an installation that uses cameras, screens and mirrors to present a diverse range of personal, direct narratives on social media, depicting the wide spectrum of human life from birth to death. These narratives cover everything from ordinary moments to important milestones and unforeseen challenges.

International expert jury’s argumentation:

International expert jury was composed of:

• Tevž Logar, independent curator, editor and writer, president of the NLB Art Council;
• Mira Gačina, art historian and critic, curator, member of the NLB Art Council;
• Ana Herman, communications project manager at NLB; and
• Matko Mioč, director, NLB Cultural Heritage.

At NLB Group we would like to thank all the artists who participated in our public call and the expert jury for their dedicated work.

NLB Communications