June 05, 2017

15th ArtStays International Festival of Contemporary Art

Photo courtesy ArtStays


Between 7th and 15th July 2017, the 15th edition of the biggest Slovenian festival of contemporary visual art Art Stays will take place. Titled Natur-al(l), focuses on artists dealing with nature, the consequences of humanity mistreating nature, and a dire future that might be awaiting us just around the corner. The festival program and selection of artists was made in collaboration with international galleries, museums and curators. Nine festival days will bring over 30 events on different venues around Ptuj and nearby, with over 150 artists from more then 20 countries.

The abundant program of this year's festival offers a selection of truly exceptional exhibitions, most of which are generally hard to catch outside the majorly established European art capitals. To mention only the most prominent: Ground and Cement by Italian curator Carlo Sala, set up in the Ptuj City Gallery, and Big is beautiful! - The Great Landscape in Slovenian Painting (curators Dušan Fišer and Jernej Forbici), set up at Q-Center, which became an official Art Stays exhibition venue exclusively for this occasion. There are over ten outstanding exhibitions to be seen altogether. With the desire of including all art genres in the festival program, we are also preparing musical concerts (Patetico), fine art workshops, discussions with artists and curators, remarkable film screenings, performances, and much more. Your own personal art experience will be accompanied every day by a selection of various locally and/or organically produced wines, while your taste buds will also be able to enjoy locally produced food and dishes.  

Exhibitions, that are the true "core" of the festival Art Stays from the very beginning will be installed in Dominican Monastery, City Gallery of Ptuj, Mihelič Gallery, Magistrat Gallery, Art Stays exhibitions space (Q-center), exhibition space of Ptuj Public Library, Art Factory, FO.VI Gallery and other interesting locations in Ptuj and nearby.

More then 150 artists will be exhibited, among them: A4C, Annalu, Justin Ascott, Lewis Baltz, Igor Banfi, Olivo Barbieri, Gabriele Basilico, Bernd & Hilla Becher, Nikolaj Beer, Emerik Bernard, Elisa Bertaglia, Lapo Binazzi (UFO), Lynn Book, Suzana Brborovič, Silvia Camporesi, Vincenzo Castella, Giovanni Chiaramonte, Costantini, Matteo Cremonesi, Silvia De Bastiani, Leo Ferdinand Demetz, Philip-Lorca Dicorcia, Tina Dobrajc, William Eggleston, Olafur Eliasson, Walker Evans, Johann Feilacher, Mitja Ficko, Dušan Fišer, Jernej Forbici, Hamish Fulton, Lee Friedlander, Mito Gegič, Mario Giacomelli, Mario Gabinio, Jochen Gerz, Luigi Ghirri, Sebastiano Guerrera, Guido Guidi, William Guerrieri, Gabriele Grones, Herman Gvardjančič, Janez Hafner, Lewis Hine, Jenny Holzer, Roni Horn, Axel Hutte, IRWIN, Marko Jakše, JAŠA, Zmago Jeraj, Boris Jesih, Duša Jesih, Francesco Jodice, Jurij Kalan, Simon Kajtna, Sergej Kapus, Arkadiusz Karapuda, Dušan Kirbiš, Aleksij Kobal, Michael Kos, Metka Krašovec, Ugo La Pietra, Jessica Ledwich, Gani Llalloshi, Ina Loizl, Richard Long, Robert Lozar, Albin Lugarič, Dominik Mahnič, Claudio Marini, Ira Marušič, Živko Marušič, Luigi Menichelli, Joel Meyerowitz, Boris Mikhailov, Paolo Monti, Ugo Mulas, Eadweard Muybridge, Walter Niedermayr, Franc Novinc, Noriko Obara, Dennis Oppenheim, Svetlana Ostapovici, Gina Pane, Luca Maria Patella, Karel Pečko, Polona Petek, Luca Piovaccari, Zoran Poposki, Uroš Potočnik, Gregor Pratneker, Mirko Rajnar, Viktor Rebernak, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Giuseppe Ripa, Daniele Rocci, Cinzia N. Rojas, Gabriele Rossi, Thomas Ruff, Jasna Samarin, Alessandro Sambini, August Sander, Sebastião Salgado, Vittorio Sella, Olga Schigal, Stephen Shore, Silvester Plotajs Sicoe, Apolonija Simon, Andraž Šalamun, Maruša Šuštar, Miha Štrukelj, Chooc Ly Tan, Marko Tušek, Walter Trecchi, Ger van Elk, Marika Vicari, Wilhelm Von Gloeden, Sašo Vrabič, Carleton Watkins, Uroš Weinberger, Wim Wenders, Edward Weston, Laurence Wood, Damon Ayers & Tessie Word, Joni Zakonjšek, Jure Zadnikar, Cyryl Zakrzewski, Marco Zanta.



Photo courtesy the author

The Cinema Program will show an extensive program of documentaries and movies by some of the greatest artists of the past century, including Robert Smithson, Nancy Holt, Paul Ryan, Martha Rosler, Dan Graham, and Gordon Matta-Clark. We also host an international video project TRANSLATION(S) III - BODIES IN TRANSIT with artists A4C, Justin Ascott, Damon Ayers & Tessie Word, Lynn Book, Jessica Ledwich, Chooc Ly Tan, Zoran Poposki and Laurence Wood.


Concerts will inspire summer nights and the exhibition openings. We start with an opening concert of a famous Slovenian band Patetico and then continue with concerts of classical music. At the end a loved Slovenian musician and photographer Lado Jakša will close the festival nights with his musical multi-vision prepared especially for Art Stays 2017.
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Performances and other interventions of artists, as JAŠA, that will replicate his project Help Us from the 2011 Art Stays edition and give it a new message, Movimento (Federico De Benedictis in Simone Pucci) that will do a video-mapping project on the facade of the City Theater, site-specific intervention of Japanese artist Noriko Obara (winner of Arte Laguna Prize by Art Stays) in the Public Library of Ptuj or public installations of the artists and kids participating the Summer Academy will importantly fulfill and enrich the festival program.

Summer Academy Art Stays incorporates an ample program of workshops for children and adults, as well as a series of lectures and presentations of artists, curators and other professionals from the field of contemporary art.

Opening: The Festival will start on Friday, 7th July 2017 with the opening of the exhibitions in Dominican Monastery: solo show of Johann Feilacher and Hommage to Joseph Beuys. The concert of a famous Slovenian band PATETICO will follow on a stage in Slovenski trg. The Festival will continue until 15th July on different venues in Ptuj and nearby. (program)

Exhibitions will be open until 5th September in more then ten exhibition spaces.