October 2026

A huge number of works of art are created each year at the University of Ljubljana at the various academies and faculties working in artistic fields. To systematically document this extensive and diverse creative output, and to provide permanent access to it, this year has seen us running Project RSF E.I.3 to set up a digital collection of student artworks.

The works of art created at the university often transcend the traditional divisions between individual disciplines. They are a meeting point for art, design, architecture, photography, technology, social sciences and humanities, and, increasingly, digital media and AI. The nascent collection therefore not only represents an overview of student artistic output, but also documents the interdisciplinary nature of the contemporary university space.

To date much of this work has been spread across individual departments, studios, offices and collections, often accessible only to a limited audience of users. Setting up a digital collection is a vital step towards connecting this material systematically. Drawings, graphics, pictures, plans, photographs, spatial installations, design projects, audio recordings, stage sets, digital works and other forms of artistic expression will be incorporated into a single setting, which will allow them to be documented, investigated and publicly exhibited over the long term. The aim of the project is to set up a digital collection of student artistic output that is orderly, stable and sustainable over the long term.

The current project is a direct continuation of and builds on the RSF project, which at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design (UL ALUO) entailed the first systematic digital treatment of an art collection in the university environment. The pilot project was mainly aimed at investigating methodologies for digitalising, documenting and managing the artistic heritage. It covered almost three hundred student graphic prints from the period between 1960 and 1980, and put in place the first standardised procedures for photographing and documenting art, made a systematic inventory of locations, and created an openly accessible digital version of the UL ALUO art collection: 100 student graphic prints.

One of the project’s particularly important achievements was confirming that the KRONOS system is fit to be the main tool for managing art collections in a museum and university environment. The pilot phase showed that it is possible in an academic space to put in place documentation processes comparable to contemporary practices for the conservation and management of cultural heritage.

While the first project mainly targeted the collection of artworks stored at the UL ALUO, the current objective is significantly broader. The project is for the first time laying the foundations for a shared digital collection of artworks at the level of the University of Ljubljana as a whole. This entails moving from individual local records to a single university system that allows works, authors, mentors, study programmes and various forms of artistic output to be connected. The collection will be open-access, and will be designed to be accessible by the widest possible audience of users, irrespective of their physical, sensory or cognitive capacities.

A digital collection is not merely a question of data storage, but also a question of access to knowledge, culture and the university’s collective memory. The principles of accessibility today seen more and more frequently at museums, libraries and other institutions for the preservation of cultural heritage are therefore built into the design of the project. The use of structured descriptions and alternative texts is envisaged, and will allow the collection to be used by screen readers, while visual works will be accompanied by extended descriptions designed to convey their content, materiality, and formal attributes to blind and visually impaired users. Particular attention will also be devoted to the readability of content, to appropriate contrast, to display adaptability, and to compatibility with various assistive technologies. Content preparation also takes account of the needs of those with learning and cognitive disabilities, and the key information will therefore be presented clearly, and in a form that is easy to read and understand.

This approach exceeds the mere technical requirements of accessibility. It is based on an understanding of the university art collection as a shared space of knowledge, exploration and creativity, which must be open to all. A digital collection thus becomes not just an archive of artworks, but also a tool of inclusion that allows for equality of access to cultural content and reinforces the University of Ljubljana’s role as an open and socially responsible institution.

More than a mere archive of art, a digital collection is also a record of the creative development of the generations of students who over the decades have played their part in creating the cultural, artistic and intellectual identity of the university. Casting an expert eye over the material, collecting biographical information, identifying the artistic techniques, identifying the materials, checking the condition of the work, and preparing metadata are all important elements of the project. The work involves experts from the fields of art history, documentology, photography, graphic techniques, conservation and digital data management.

The digital collection is based on the technical standards used at museums and other institutions for the preservation of cultural heritage. The work applies the Spectrum, CIDOC CRM and Object ID international standards, which ensures the comparability of the data with established practices in the documentation of cultural heritage.

Copyright is also the subject of particular attention. The digital collection is based on upholding the authorship of the students, and the project therefore involves systematically regulating the copyright status of the works, properly recording authorship, and establishing the conditions for the responsible use of digital reproductions in research, teaching and public spaces.

Although the main focus is on student works, the digital collection will also include works by established artists that are kept by the university’s member institutions. These were obtained in a variety of ways, through donations, bequests and purchases. Another important step in putting art in its rightful place in the university space is the new practice whereby public contests are held for artwork to decorate new faculty buildings. Among the first to be decorated in this way will be the new buildings of the Veterinary Faculty and the Faculty of Medicine, a symbol of the increasingly close link between art and other fields of knowledge.

The digital collection will not be aimed solely at a professional audience. It will become a place where research, creativity and the university memory meet, open to students, researchers, alumni and the general public. Its unique value comes from the diversity of the material, where each work bears the traces of its own birth: information about the author, the mentor, the teaching environment, the materials and techniques used, and the time and circumstances of its creation. The individual works bear witness not just to the creative process, but also to the development of arts education, evolving pedagogical approaches, and the broader cultural environment in which they were created.

Through Project RSF E.I.3 to set up a digital collection of student artworks, the University of Ljubljana is for the first time systematically establishing a shared space for documenting, investigating and exhibiting the artistic output of its member institutions. The collection will not just provide for the long-term retention and accessibility of the material, but will also facilitate new research approaches, comparative studies, exhibition projects, and international collaborations. Connecting artworks, authors, mentors, study programmes and different creative fields will yield the first comprehensive overview of the wealth of artistic output that is created inside the university space.

The project thus transcends the boundaries of the technical process of digitalisation. Its importance lies not only in converting analogue material into digital form, but in creating the conditions for new interpretation and investigation of the University of Ljubljana’s artistic heritage. Artworks created in the teaching process are not merely documents of hours of study, but also the carriers of the ideas, knowledge and creative experience that together build the identity of the university.

The digital collection will thus be more than an archive of art. It will become part of the University of Ljubljana’s shared cultural memory, a place for preserving creative heritage, and a starting point for future research, interpretations and public presentations. It will allow student artworks to be conserved, accessible and understood in the future, as an important part of the history of the university space and its creative traditions.

– Prof. Dr Nadja Zgonik and Asst. Msc Gregor Kokalj, UL ALUO

The Slovene Animated Film Association (DSAF) presented its professional and student awards for 2026 at the Slovenj Gradec Arts Centre on 9 October as part of the Days of Slovenian Animated Film in Carinthia. Danaja Kurnik, doing a master’s in illustration at the UL ALUO, received a special mention for Hold My Sheep?, her student animation project currently under development.

Created under the mentorship of Asst. Prof. mag. Andrej Kamnik, the animated short talks about the unseen part of understanding and aligning desires within an intimate relationship. Interweaving the everyday with surrealism, it explores a situation where sex takes place with consent, but the responsibility for understanding its meaning is not shared equally between the partners. The film’s concept is distinguished by a unique creative vision and a compelling visual style, in that it explores a complex theme through sheep, pomegranates, and other fantasies that serve as a visual language for what remains unsaid between partners.

Congratulations!

– Sara Bešlin Vatovec, UL ALUO

Everything about me invites you in, an exhibition by three students of the Academy of Fine Arts and Design, opened at the Mala Galerija of Banka Slovenije (MGBS) on 15 October.

The exhibition was born in the exploration of Banka Slovenije’s Mala Galerija as a space whose architectural and functional features serve as a starting point for artistic interventions. The architecture, the interior design, the light, the sights and the sounds all become material for the exhibition’s creators to build new relationships between the space and the visitor. The central principle of the exhibition is duplication, which manifests as mirroring, multiplication and echoes. By repeating the existing, it alters relationships and blurs the boundary between the original and the new version. The outside penetrates the gallery interior through sound and perforated film, while the actual gallery begins to function as an image of itself facing outward. Recognisable elements thus remain present, but lose their inherent function and become part of a new spatial logic.

Exhibition creators: Samra Buljić (MA in painting), Dunja Rahovsky Šuligoj (MA in video, animation and new media), Isidora Todorić (DR in humanities and social sciences / visual arts studies)

The exhibition will run until 21 November of this year.

Mentor: izr. prof. dr. Tomo Stanič
MGBS curator: Ema Kobal
Production: University of Ljubljana

– Sara Bešlin Vatovec, UL ALUO

Between 14 and 17 October the Academy of Music hosted Psychology & Music – Interdisciplinary Encounters (PAM-IE 2026), a high-profile international conference that brought together almost 200 participants from across the globe. Organised by the UL AG in collaboration with the University of Ljubljana Faculty of Arts and the University of Maribor’s Brain Game Center, the event brought together researchers, college lecturers, music teachers, music therapists, performers and other experts with an interest in understanding music and its effects on society and the individual.

The four plenary lectures by renowned international experts gave the conference genuine heft. Caroline Curwen (Durham University, UK) shed light on the links between music, colours, emotions, and imaginative listening, Paul Harris (Royal Academy of Music, UK) examined the importance of connecting psychological processes and holistic musical education, Dianna T Kenny (University of Sydney, Australia) offered in-depth insight into various forms of musical performance anxiety, and Ana Butković (University of Zagreb, Croatia) discussed individual differences in the exploration of music, and their significance to wellbeing and social sustainability.

Alongside the plenary lectures, the four-day interdisciplinary programme also included five thematic symposiums, eleven workshops, and numerous scientific presentations and posters. This was all augmented by informal conversations with the plenary lecturers, and roundtables on regional links.

One feature of the conference was the interweaving of scientific and artistic content. Other attractions at the event were musical performances to open each day featuring works by Slovenian composers, a concert of boys’ choirs, and a production of the musical Annie and Mary, all of which gave further credence to the importance of integrating research, artistic creation, and direct musical experience.

– UL AG

The University of Ljubljana Academy of Music is delivering a wealth of musical events in its new concert season for the 2026/27 academic year. Soloists, chamber ensembles, choirs and orchestras from the UL AG will perform on the concert stages, bringing music of various eras and styles to the audience, and bridging the youthful creativity of the students with the experience of established artists.

Alongside the established cycles Tutti, Solo e da camera, Ne zamudite, Akademija LIVE and ŠUS (Students Create Together), this year’s season will also feature a new cycle, Music Heals, whose concerts and expert talks will highlight music’s impact on mental health, wellbeing, relationships, inclusion and social cohesion.

Important musical anniversaries will also be given a special place. A concert by the Chamber String Orchestra of the Academy of Music will mark the centenary of the birth of composer Janez Matičič. One highlight of 2027 will be marking the 200^th anniversary of the death of Ludwig van Beethoven, and the January concert of the Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra will be devoted to his magnificent opus. It will be followed by a concert of clarinettists to mark the 90^th anniversary of the birth of Béla Kovács, and a concert at the Studio for Contemporary Music in memory of the late professor emeritus and former dean of the academy, Pavel Mihelčič, who died this year.

The UL AG’s new concert season invites you to discover music in all its diversity, and to share experiences that bring people together, combining musical heritage with the contemporary and transcending the bounds of time.

– UL AG

The 29^th Festival of Slovenian Film took place between 13 and 18 October of this year. The University of Ljubljana’s Academy of Fine Arts and Design (UL ALUO) once again played its part in the film programme and also the support programme. Six students of visual communications design and of video, animation and new media at the UL ALUO presented their films (animation and live-action) at the festival: five in the panorama section (Antea Benzon, Danaja Kurnik, Daniel Lenarčič, Tyana Rendič, Maria Praničević) and one in the competition programme (Andreja Brulc with her animation The Woman and the Crocodile). The mentor for all the animations was Asst. Prof. mag. Andrej Kamnik, while the mentor for the live-action film (directed by Tyana Rendič) was Assoc. Prof. mag. Robert Černelč.

UL ALUO alumna Žoel Kastelic also took part in the competition programme, with her latest animation Coming Back with the Waves. It was produced at the KASK & CONSERVATORIUM School of Arts Gent in Belgium, where she is continuing her studies, with a master’s in video, animation and new media.

Students from the UL ALUO, the Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television (UL AGRFT) and the University of Nova Gorica’s School of Arts (AU UNG) organised the 5^th Student Film Meeting for the festival’s industry programme, on the subject of Slovenian films that have become part of our shared cultural memory. The meeting included a workshop on creating unique film posters (one such poster can be seen in the photos).

– Sara Bešlin Vatovec, UL ALUO

With the aim of raising the profile of the EUTOPIA alliance among its students and staff, and promoting student creativity, the University of Ljubljana (UL) is holding a competition for students to design a motif for EUTOPIA tote bags. The winning design will be used on the EUTOPIA tote bags at UL. A prize of €300 will also go to the winner.

The design must meet the following conditions:

• it must include the EUTOPIA logo and the UL logo, which must be clearly visible, and an integral part of the design (downloadable from the EUTOPIA Media Toolkit or from the UL corporate identity page
• the graphic design may not exceed dimensions of 32 cm by 30.5 cm
• it must be suitable for printing on the central section of a tote bag
• the design must take account of the EUTOPIA Media Toolkit, and the University of Ljubljana’s corporate identity
• the printing technology means that colour gradients and similar effects are not allowed
• the graphic design must be in full keeping with EUTOPIA’s values, in particular the principles of inclusivity and respect for diversity

The international brass symposium and masterclasses held at the Academy of Music of the University of Ljubljana on 13 to 15 October constituted an exceptional artistic and teaching event that significantly strengthened the academy’s international profile, its professional excellence, and its development-oriented focus.

With 110 students, teachers and musicians from Slovenia and the rest of the world taking part, the academy reinforced its role as the key regional point of contact for the very finest education and creativity in brass music. Internationally renowned artists, teachers and young musicians came together to engage in a priceless transfer of knowledge, to promote the exchange of innovative pedagogical approaches, and to enrich the study process with new artistic and professional experience. There were lectures, masterclasses, workshops in mental training and a roundtable, helping students in fully rounded development and strengthening the links between education and international musical practice.

An exclusive concert by the Reinhold Friedrich Brass Quintet at the Slovenian Philharmonic served to emphasise the sheer artistic quality of the event. The symposium was a great boost to the reputation of the UL AG, expanded the opportunities for international collaboration, and reinforced its profile as an innovative, open, and internationally connected higher education institution for the arts.

– Prof. Dušan Kranjc, UL AG

As previously announced in the Ljubljana School of Landscape Architecture: Tradition and the Future roundtable (held on 23 April, kULturnica May 26), 1 October of this year will mark 50 years of the study of landscape architecture at the University of Ljubljana. Celebrating this momentous anniversary will therefore be a major feature of our 2026/27 academic year, which will be marked with a series of talks. The first talk, On the premises and pitfalls of modern architecture and landscape architecture, like the roundtable in April, was held at the Museum of Architecture and Design, and drew upon Is Nature Modern? Ecological Perspectives in the MAO Collection, 1930–1979, an exhibition exploring the relationship with nature and approaches to ecological thinking in modern architecture and design.

An international symposium was therefore held to reflect on key concepts and tenets of modernism in architecture and landscape architecture from the perspective of the contemporary environmental crisis. We discussed some of the key tenets of modernism, such as comfort, cost-effectiveness in construction, and the energy efficiency of buildings, and also their realisation in modernist architecture. There was a particular focus on the role of landscape architecture during this period, both in the international environment and in Slovenia, where it began to be established as an independent branch of the profession in the mid-70s.

Renowned researcher Daniel A Barber (TU Eindhoven) examined modernist architecture’s inseparability from carbon footprint, while Ana Kučan (UL BF) positioned landscape architecture within the era of modernism, defined the differences in the view of nature between the disciplines mentioned in the symposium title, and examined the origins and development of the study of landscape architecture in Slovenia. The fundamental principles of shaping the landscape and its contemporary challenges were discussed by Zaš Brezar (Landezine).

At the roundtable that followed these talks, the guests explored the pitfalls of modernism, and the environmental practices and patterns of spatial management that originated in the modernist era and continue to shape architecture and landscape architecture even today. They also considered how to recognise them, how to critically evaluate them, and also how to transcend them. The conversation was moderated by Mateja Kurir from the Urban Planning Institute.

We will continue this format, with the conversations with selected guests being chaired by Davorin Gazvoda (UL BF, November), Maja Simoneti (IPOP, January), Tatjana Capuder Vidmar (UL BF, February), Zaš Brezar (Landezine, March), Urša Habič (Studio VULKAN, April), Mojca Golobič (UL BF, May) and Katarina Bajc (HCU Hamburg, June).

Details of the guests, dates and venues will be provided closer to the time. You are welcome to join us.

– Prof. dr. Ana Kučan, UL BF

A presentation of the 297^th thematic issue of the Journal for the Critique of Science, Imagination, and New Anthropology, which was dedicated to illustration in contemporary Slovenian culture and was edited by Asst. Prof. Dr Petja Grafenauer (UL ALUO) and Katarina Majerhold, took place at the Vodnik Homestead on 29 September.

The thematic issue provides a comprehensive overview of the development of Slovenian illustration and the latest trends, while shedding light on the work of key illustrators, the role of illustration in the cultural space, and the impact of technological changes on the practice of illustration. The articles examine how illustration in Slovenia is maintaining its distinctiveness and specificity in the globalised cultural landscape, what role it has in education and society at large, and how digitalisation and new media are changing the creative process and the production and reception of illustration.

The issue covers diverse areas of illustration practice, from illustrating for books, graphic design, animation and interactive visual media, to the pedagogical aspects of illustration and the use of pictograms in paediatrics. In so doing it opens up an interdisciplinary perspective on illustration as an important field of contemporary visual culture.

Original scientific articles were contributed by: Tatjana Pregl Kobe, Petja Grafenauer, Katja Kobolt, Petra Černe Oven, Špela Guček, Suzi Bricelj and Marija Bratuš Nabernik.

The event was moderated by Katarina Majerhold, and featured Asst. Prof. dr. Petja Grafenauer (UL ALUO), Katja Kobolt, Špela Guček (UL ALUO) and Assoc. Prof. Suzi Bricelj (UL ALUO).

It was organised by the Journal for the Critique of Science, Imagination, and New Anthropology, in conjunction with the Centre for Illustration.

The project resulted from the P5-0452 Visual Literacy research programme at UL ALUO, which was co-financed by the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency (ARIS).

– Sara Bešlin Vatovec, UL ALUO

What happens to a boy’s singing when his voice begins to change? Is mutation an obstacle, or an opportunity for a different approach to vocal training? These were the questions asked by The Changing Voice, a symposium held on October 13 and 14 in a collaboration between the VOKUM Institute for Vocal Arts and the Academy of Music of the University of Ljubljana, the St Stanislaus Institute, the Jutland School of Singing in Denmark, and Sakralni Abonma.

The two-day symposium brought together musicians, teachers, conductors and experts in various fields to offer comprehensive insight into the musical, physiological and personal development of growing boys. In addition to a masterclass in choral conducting, where under the guidance of Norwegian conductor Asbjørn Damgaard Faleide, students from the Academy of Music of the University of Ljubljana (UL AG) honed their skills in conducting technique, musical interpretation, and the nuances of working with boys' voices in practical work with the Danish choir Herning Kirkes Drengekor, the programme also featured expert lectures and workshops exploring the physiology of the voice and mutation, vocal pedagogy, ear training, group singing, and the importance of singing to the personal and social development of young people.

The second day saw a presentation of the Danish boys’ choir tradition, an open rehearsal of the choir, and workshops on selecting a repertoire and making music in groups. The symposium closed with a concert at the Ursuline Church in Ljubljana, which featured performances not only by the Danish choir but also by boys’ ensembles from the St Stanislaus Institute under the direction of Tine Bec and Damijan Močnik.

The symposium showed that voice mutation is not solely a physiological process, but also an important time of musical and personal development. The pedagogical approaches examined also raised a broader question: what place does boys’ singing have in music education in Slovenia, and how can we strengthen its role in the future?

– VOKUM, UL AG

The students and teachers of the UL ALUO’s photography department left for a one-day field trip to Zagreb on 16 October. Their first stop was the Museum of Contemporary Art (MSU). Curator Morana Matković guided them through the permanent collection, and they also saw the Eight Sea and Divice Art exhibitions. Next came a presentation of work by Lea Vene, one of the three artistic directors of Organ Vida, the largest contemporary photography festival in the region. This was followed by a tour of three exhibitions in the Slovenian Cycle curated by Galerija Spot: Andrej and Mijam Lamut, Nik Erik Neubauer and Peter Fetich.

The day concluded with a lecture by the world-renowned designer and artist Erik Kessels, who works with found photos. He was in Zagreb at the time of their visit to lead a weekly workshop for students at the photography department at the Academy of Dramatic Art (ADU) in Zagreb.

– Sara Bešlin Vatovec, UL ALUO

The Shepherd of Images, a photo exhibition by Jon Žagar, opens at the gallery of the School of Economics and Business 

A new photo exhibition by artist Jon Žagar has opened at the gallery of the School of Economics and Business. Presented and explained in detail by curator Matej Tomažin, The Shepherd of Images invites visitors to reflect deeply on the nature of observation, patience, and the subtle relationship between the photographer and their subject. 

The core premise of the series of photographs emerged through repeated visits to a mountain pasture during the winter. Once the flock had left the mountain after seasonal grazing, a single sheep remained. The resulting cycle of photographs is the fruit of a long process, and continuity in meetings. At the very beginning the photographer’s presence acted as a major disturbance, directly affecting the behaviour of the animals. With each new visit the dynamic changed: from an initial caution and lack of trust, to an increasingly calm, almost unnoticed presence.

The exhibition name refers to the idea of herding as a continuous process of accompanying, guiding, and consciously nurturing a reciprocal relationship. Here the photograph does not emerge as a snapshot or a randomly captured moment, but rather as the result of careful and considerate adjustment, with the author subordinating his own movements and photographing to the animals’ reactions. Opening the exhibition, curator Matej Tomažin highlighted that the key moment in the series comes during the transitional interlude when the photographer’s presence is gradually losing the nature of an unfamiliar intrusion, but has not yet become taken for granted. Once the animal gets used to the photographer, and the immediate response fades, the fundamental tension of the project also drains away.

One particular focus of the exhibition, within the academic environment of the School of Economics and Business, is encouraging the viewer to take their time. Amid the fast pace of everyday life, the installation invites us to slow down and engage in meditative observation. Visitors are invited to pause for a good while in front of individual photographs, and to notice how their perspective shifts. This encourages them to observe the details that hold their attention, and to reflect on how the space and the series are composed, and where it remains open.

The Shepherd of Images runs at the gallery of the School of Economics and Business until 30 October. You are most welcome to see it, and to take time to reflect!

– UL EF

Education

Umjetnička Akademija u Splitu (UMAS) 
Dizajn Vizualnih Komunikacija (DVK) 

Exhibits

Exhibit „Identifikacija“ – visual identity solutions for the Maritime Museum of Split; 26. 3. 2026– 

Exhibit of student screenprinting works; 20. 6. 2024–27. 6. 2024. 

Exhibition for movie posters for NoMAD MOVIE ART; 5. 6. 2024–20. 6. 2024 

Additional experience

Participation in the FLUid Design forum in Cetije

– Manuela Buzov, student at UL ALUO