1

2 3

The 2. ART Expo Ljubljana event and this official catalogue is dedicated to the long time main supporter of AAMI story and

AAMI President’s vision,

Mr. Jože Mermal,Chairman of the Board of Directors / BTC d.d.

4 5

Art life is live art.

6 7

We are an internationalcorporation for connecting

business with art worldwide.

AAMI Corporation is a business group of all brands and legal

entities, which are managed by one board. The corporation com-

bines various companies: Institute Atelje Art Murn International

(with branches in Ljubljana, Prague, London and Hong Kong),

company Mega-Graf d.o.o. for art, graphic and printing services,

private business Botticelli Club, public cultural Salvador Club,

online AAMI Platform, newspaper AAMI Times, ART Expo Lju-

bljana, AAMI Foundation and AAMI app.

The business group has activities in Slovenia, Italy, Austria, Hun-

gary, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Spain, United Kingdom,

United Arab Emirates, India, China and elsewhere.

8 9

Miha MurnPresident and CEO of AAMI Corporation

Slovenia is a country of potential, where Central European nature gives everything it has to offer in one hour distance. In all four directions of the sky, we can find new dimensions. The world on the other hand is rotating and dictating all we know and all we do each day. The modern era is pre¬senting fast ever-changing experience for human kind and best example for new innovations with achievements.

Art may be a media for exposing our ideas and our views to the society, but it is also the very foun¬dation of everything we have achieved so far, because it is so unnecessary to all of us, that in the end we all necessarily need it. The foundation stone of all information is that they are shown to the people and art which is displayed on walls in basements cannot give anything to the public. By allowing others to see works of art from different cultures and people from different backgrounds, we are all given an unique opportunity to see something new, to experience other views and to open our minds to all four dimensions. Our AAMI way of life gives this exact opportunity to all who wish to participate in this “art-information show”. Institute Atelje Art Murn International was only a starting point of our journey and so we have established four branches in Ljubljana, Prague, Hong Kong and London. Today, we face new projects, exhibitions and shows also in other countries. With the presentation of European creative industries in the Middle East and Asia, we got a big push for our vision to connect everything and everyone in the culture world into one big “ecosystem” which feeds businesses and individual artists around the world.

ART Expo Ljubljana was the first big AAMI project in Slovenia, which opened doors for the Slove¬nian public to connect with our partners from other industries on one side, and on the other side with our exhibitors. The voice of our members is the only real weapon of our mission and giving everyone an opportunity is the only reality of our success. And where successful stories collide, there is a point where you meet companies and people with enthusiasm and courage like the man¬agement board of BTC d.d., that supports our craziness from A to Z, that gives us that extra push to win on international markets and recognizes our effort on the same level from day one.

The first expo was not just our mission, but was strongly supported in all possible ways by them. Together, we are building a better environment for culture in many countries, for all the people, but especially for those that are not accepted because of their lack of knowledge, references, titles and other principles of capitalism. This expo is an upgraded version with more than 300 international exhibitors from over 30 countries and 4 continents. Visitors can enjoy a variety of world cultures in several forms; from paintings, music, installations to drawings, sculptures, fashion, photography, craftsmanship and more. Walk through Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre, continue your journey to BTC City Ljubljana and dive into a new dynamic extravagant world of art. Support our artists with your presence and give your soul a surprise that feeds your senses.

Welcome to the universe of connection and art, welcome to ART Expo Ljubljana!

Foto

/ U

rša

Koš

ir

10 11Foto

/ A

leš

Ben

o

Jože MermalChairman of the Board of Directors / BTC d.d.

The Spanish-French painter Pablo Picasso once said that the purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls. We agree with this sentiment since art undoubtedly enriches our lives. At BTC, d. d., however, it is also the source of creative inspiration spurring the realisation of many proj-ects that help write the story of our open and modern company. Although it might seem at first that culture and the economy don’t have much in common, our implementation of cultural projects and our cultivation of BTC City Ljubljana as a city of culture and art keep proving that culture is being created and maintained by the combined power of entrepreneurship and art.

Our greatest cultural contribution is certainly our very own SiTi Teater BTC, a theatre which has now been attracting visitors for almost 20 years. With over 300 domestic and foreign shows it annually brightens the days of about 35,000 people. With its broad range of shows, outstanding performers and varied performances, it is a veritable cultural temple for all generations. Our contribution to the development of culture in Slovenia and the recognition of local and international artists is further-more reflected in our artwork collection. In the 65 years of our company’s operation, we have col-lected more than 400 timeless pieces of art and are always looking for opportunities to add more. The collection includes 12 exceptional sculptures, which adorn the streets and squares of BTC City Ljubljana, always there for our guests to admire because we believe that art should live among the people. BTC City Ljubljana isn’t only a nexus bringing together creators, their supporters and fans of creativity, but also an open-air art gallery.

In addition, we encourage the development of culture by supporting artists, cultural institutions, partner organisations and events. In fact, AAMI Corporation, the principal organiser of ART Expo Ljubljana, is based precisely in BTC City Ljubljana. That is why we are especially happy to be able to support this unique cultural platform already for the second time this year and, together with AAMI, create new opportunities for young as well as already established artists from Slovenia and abroad to present themselves. This year’s event will showcase artworks by more than 300 exhibitors from over 25 countries, embracing the arts from architecture, fine art and photography to dance and other genres. Exhibitions will be accompanied by 70 events, including workshops, concerts and lectures, to further raise awareness and educate the general public on the importance of culture. As one of the two venues of these events, BTC City Ljubljana will once again be the meeting point of creative industries and the arts, helping young artists to break onto the domestic and international markets.

By supporting projects such as ART Expo Ljubljana, BTC strives to bring art closer to the people and highlight the artworks’ timelessness and transcendence. After all, culture dwells in the hearts of the people. May it also move you this September at the second cultural and artistic spectacle ART Expo Ljubljana.

12 13

Zoran JankovićMayor of the City of Ljubljana

Ljubljana, a city of the arts.

Ljubljana is an open, safe and friendly city where everyone feels at home. Despite our differences, the city’s citizens are capable of co-existing in mutual respect and friendship. That is why artists of the most diverse disciplines, who come to us from all corners of the globe, feel great in Ljubljana.I am very proud of the fact that this year we are hosting the 2. ART Expo Ljubljana, which brings to-gether different arts and offers space to established artists and to those just beginning their artis¬tic journey. For the latter, ART Expo Ljubljana represents a springboard on their career path that can catapult them to new heights.

Ljubljana is a city of culture and art and we are well aware that this area is crucial for the quality of life of our citizens. We therefore dedicate a great deal of attention to artistic content intended for various target groups, while we continuously invest in the cultural infrastructure. At this very mo-ment, there is an exceptional project underway that has been recognised at the European level, with resources earmarked from the Cohesion Fund: the transformation of the long abandoned Cukrarna building into a contemporary art gallery. Through the project, we will facilitate the continued de-velopment of the local arts and further expand the visibility of the artistic potential of our city at an international level. This year’s ART Expo will take place at the Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre and at the BTC City, another success story of our beautiful Ljubljana, where hand-in-hand we are building the story of sustainable city, packed with cultural, sporting and social events.

Respected artists and esteemed visitors of ART Expo! Welcome to Ljubljana, for me the most beau-tiful city in the world. During your artistic journey through all of the experiences offered by ART Expo Ljubljana, I invite you to feel the vibrant pulse of our city, which is always full of life and socialising at numerous cultural and other events. I am sure that you will look forward to a return visit. We will always welcome you with open arms and the legendary hospitality of our citizens.

Welcome!

Foto

/ U

roš

Hoč

evar

14 15

Iztok BriclM. Sc. Econ, CEO / Managing Director of the GR – Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre

Welcome Art Expo, welcome dear artists, welcome dear visitors! With great excitement, we are opening our door to a new event at the GR - Exhibition and Convention Centre right in the very year when we celebrate 65 years of existence.

The GR - Exhibition and Convention Centre is the oldest post-war (WW2) and the largest event cen-tre in Slovenia. Each year, 250 different events are held at the GR, intended for different generations and attended by over half a million people. The 23 flexible multi-purpose halls, most of them on the ground floor and with daylight, can accommodate between a few tens to 2,200 participants at a time. All but one of the halls bear the mark of modern functionalist architecture and are also protect-ed as national architectural heritage. The Steklena dvorana (Glass hall) designed by the architect Mr. Milan Mihelič, which hosts the ART Expo exhibition, has been presented at the MoMA Museum of Contemporary Art in New York since last September as a part of the exhibition Architecture in Yugoslavia, 1948-1980.

Just as art has a variety of expressions and forms, as well as explanations that there are many ways to understand it as there are people, we can say that everything is possible in the freedom of artistic expression. In the spirit of the GR’s slogan Everything possible! since its beginning, the GR - Exhi-bition and Convention Centre has also opened its door to many prestigious cultural events, such as: The Biennial of Yugoslav Industrial Design (1975), The Slovenian Book Fair (1979), the travelling exhibition Architect Jože Plečnik 1872-1957, which premiered at the Paris Cultural Centre Georg-es Pompidou (1986). In the years 2011-2014, the exhibitions of The May Salon of The Slovenian Association of Fine Arts Societies featured over 150 local artists from all over Slovenia as an echo and display of contemporary art in Slovenia. The world exhibition Genius – Da Vinci (2013) has been viewed by over 68,000 people in just over half a year. One of our most prominent eruptive figurative painters Marko Jakše received the largest national award in the field of art in Slovenia, the Prešeren Fund Award, for the exhibition of his extraterrestrial images of the world the Pink Smoke (2013), that was hosted by the GR.

At the GR - Exhibition and Convention Centre, we believe that the best stories are always a combi-nation of an ingenious idea, excellent know-how and an investor and that this combines the needs and expectations of a winning product. That is why, for a decade now, we have been encouraging young, not yet established but promising architects and designers to present their imaginative and creative design solutions at the exhibition Top Ideas as part of the Ambient, the Ljubljana Furniture and Interior Fair. We strive for the innovative integration of various business activities and creation. We also wish the ART Expo Ljubljana to become a recognizable event for the GR - Exhibition and Convention Centre and for the AAMI Corporation. Let the ART Expo Ljubljana inspire us every year, incite new questions and provoke curiosity, passion and excitement. Let the ART Expo Ljubljana become a signature of our civilisation!

Foto

/ R

ober

t Rib

ič

16 17

Business life is live business.

18 19

Catalogue Index

Art

wor

k /

Mih

a M

urn

- M

icha

el G

rego

rjev

Mur

n

20 21

Expo concept / 00022

Slovenia / 00024

Atelje Art Murn International story / 00034

The BTC Company’s Creative Mosaic / 00076

Brazilian-South American Pavillion / 00088

Nonparel printing house / 00096

On display / 00104

Articles about Art / 00115

Testimonials / 00122

Zone 1 / 00127

Zambian art / 00166

Discovery of abstract painting / 00169

Irdi Destinazione Arte / 00172

Zone 2 / 00191

Zone 3 / 00209

Zone 4 / 00217

Zone 5 / 00229

Zone 6 / 00249

Zone 7 / 00273

Other / 00286