WHW Akademija

Photo by Ana Lucija Šarić

Neža Knez (1990, Ljubljana, Slovenia) graduated from the Department of Sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design, University of Ljubljana; in 2017 and obtained her master’s from the same institution under the mentorship of prof. Jože Barši. She works in a diverse media, such as audio, video, photography, with her own body or with bodies of others, drawings and classical sculpture.

She has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Slovenia and abroad. Selected exhibitions: Square, P74 Gallery, Ljubljana (2019), Talking about Images, Kunsthalle Graz, Graz, Austria (2018); the exhibition of nominees for the OHO Group Award, P74 Gallery, Ljubljana (2018, 2016), Let’s Roll Our Sleeves Up, Likovni salon, Celje (2018), Mediterranea 18 Young Artists Biennale, Tirana, Albania (2017), ALUO Crossing: Embodiment, Equrna Gallery, Ljubljana (2017), DIS-communication, Sira Gallery, Zagreb (2017), Personal, Škuc Gallery, Ljubljana (2016).

She has received several awards, including the UL ALUO Recognition (2012) and UL ALUO Award (2014) for exceptional student achievements, the award for an innovative approach to graphic arts (2015), the Prešeren Student Award of the University of Ljubljana (2015) and the OHO Group Award (2018). She received the highest recognition Summa Cum Laude for her master thesis (2017).

Since 2016 she has been in a few residency programs (Italy, Germany, etc.). She is the recipient of a two-year residency for young artists at the Švicarija Creative Centre, in 2018 she was also on a two-month residency in NYC (RU-Residency Unlimited) connected with OHO award.

Links to artist's webpage, Instagram and video for Sodobna umetnost.

Links to video clips: Square, Deus ex Machina, For - nothing and Reading in Milano libary.

‍

Artist statement

My art practice is always open creative research which develops itself through time. Through the event or interventions in urban spaces, I am questioning the social, economic and political aspects of our society. My interest is in the research of perceptions with different senses, playing with visibility and invisibility, dealing with the question of the (thinking) body. I am interested in everyday things, which are so close to us that they often seem to be overlooked or unusual, with different cuts and interventions in everyday life, I seek to push normality to its limit. With creating events – who would you easily say that cut into society – and connecting people, I experiment with the usage of my own body but also with bodies of others. I let the rawness of material guide me so that the work itself can stay alive. I assume the social limits that are given to us and reveal and curve them according to my own ‘humoristic’ logic.

I think that we can’t think of artwork out of the wider context in which the work is set. I am very interested in what means the space of art, where is it located, and what are its characteristics. My research is always based on notions beyond the prescribed representation and will, regardless of its form, draw its certainty from its uncertainty. A thorough analysis, thinking, observation and study can transform the perception of reality, and at the same time build a strong physical awareness. The body enables us access to the world with our senses, and it also allows us to experience a diverse spectrum of dimensions and imagination on a certain matter.

No items found.

fellows

fellows

fellows

Contemplation, imagination, shark

fellows