Dear Spectrites,
Last week of August. Want to end the month in a great way ?
Come and join us in beautiful Ljubljana for the panel
discussion and exhibition opening of Robertina Šebjanič new
piece, "Neotenous Dark Dwellers (Lygophilia)".
Looking forward to seeing you there.
Best
Annick
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Panel discussion and exhibition opening
Robertina Šebjanič: Neotenous Dark Dwellers (Lygophilia)
31 August-2 September 2018
Friday, 31 August at 4pm [panel discussion] and 7pm
(exhibition opening)
OSMO/ZA [Slovenska cesta 54, Ljubljana, Slovenia]
Speakers: Carlos Pascual (writer), Gregor Aljančič and
Magdalena Năpăruș-Aljančič (Tular Cave Laboratory – Jamski
laboratorij Tular), Robertina Šebjanič (artist), Annick
Bureaud (curator and art critic, director Leonardo/Olats).
The panel discussion will present some of the topics and
issues shared by those two remarkable creatures, living two
continents apart: the Mexican Axolotl and the Slovene
Proteus. Their ecology (both are endangered species in their
natural environment), their biological singularity (both are
neotenous dwellers of the dark) and their cultural
appropriation (both are cultural phenomena) will be addressed.
+++++++
Robertina Šebjanič: Neotenous Dark Dwellers (Lygophilia)
curated by Annick Bureaud
Lygophilia weaves together mythologies and sciences, history
and future, fears and desires, continents, cultures, humans
and non-humans. Lygophilia folds and unfolds the stories
carried by those fascinating creatures that are the Mexican
Axolotl and the Slovene Proteus.
From immortality to regenerative medicine — both animals
are, as adults, in a state of “eternal youth” (neoteny)
showing extraordinary longevity and regenerative abilities
that put them at the centre of ancient myths as well as
current cutting-edge scientific researches.
Ironically, Axolotls and Proteus are endangered species in
their natural environment. Both have found habitats in very
specific and located places, in the swamps of the lakes
around the City of Mexico for one and in Europe in Dinaric
karst caves for the other, showing an example of parallel
evolution, endemicm and adaptation to narrow and extreme niches.
Hiding from the sun and daylight both are in love with
darkness, lygophilia (from the Greek lúgē and philéō).
With cabinets that evoke the old natural history museums
displays as well as the scientific labs glove boxes or the
maternity incubators, through objects, texts, videos and
paraphernalia, playing with a crossed mirrored approach
where each element, each story, each animal is echoing,
reflecting but also diffracting and counteracting the other,
Šebjanič invites us to a journey into our cultural gaze and
its evolution. Lygophilia offers the visitors to gain a more
profound view of interspecies cohabitation in the
contemporary world for a common future.
The panel discussion and exhibition is part of the Mladi
levi festival.
http://www.bunker.si/eng/21st-international-festival-mladi-levi
* Lygophilia is a series of research-based artworks
initiated in 2017 by Robertina Šebjanič in Mexico and
pursued in Slovenia to explore the love (Gr.: philéō) of
darkness (Gr.: lúgē) and the unknown dwellers in places
inhospitable for humans.
Production: Projekt Atol (Uroš Veber), Slovenia, 2018 &
Arte+Ciencia (UNAM), Mexico 2017; Sektor Institute, Slovenia
2017 / 2018 -
http://www.projekt-atol.si/project/neotenous-dark-dwellers-lygophilia/
Production support: Ministry of Culture of Slovenia and the
Municipality of Ljubljana
Special thanks to: Aisen Caro Chacin, Miha Godec, Roman B.,
Peter Kolobarić, Rampa Lab, Osmo/za Consortium, Bunker team,
Tular Cave Laboratory
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