Touring Exhibition
Theater Möderndorfer
From June 27, 2024 to August 1, 2024 in the Historical Atrium of the Ljubljana City Hall, the exhibition is open every day between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m.
OPENING: Thursday, June 27, 2024, at 7 p.m. The exhibition will be opened by Zoran Janković, Mayor of the City of Ljubljana.
The exhibition was created as a kind of "logical continuation" of the monograph Theater Möderndorfer, in which Vinko Möderndorfer devotes himself to 106 productions that he designed as a director over four decades. When the book was published, the author wrote: "Already in the early 1980s, as well as later, I thought it would be nice to see the theater through a sensitive photographer's eye. That theater photography can be an independent art. /.../ From the theater performance, only photographs and impressions remain, which the spectators take away with them. Everything else turns into the dust of oblivion after the last performance."
Vinko Mőderndorfer. Photo: Darja Štravs Tisu, private archive.
From June 2023, the exhibition was hosted in Maribor, Celje, Kranj, Novi Gorizia and Trieste. Each installation was different: not only because of the different ambiences, but also because of the decision of the curator mag. Tee Rogelj to complement it each time with some costumes from the depicted performances.
The installation in the Historical Atrium of the Town Hall is no exception to this - in cooperation with SNG Opera and Ballet Ljubljana and top costume designer Alan Hranitelje we upgrade it with costumes and scenic elements from the opera A unicorn Pavla Šivica.
A monograph was published in 2022 Theater Möderndorfer, which is unique in Slovenian theater publishing both in terms of volume (1216 pages with around 1500 units of pictorial material) and content. In it, Vinko Möderndorfer devotes himself to 106 productions that he has designed as a director in more than four decades since his first direction in 1980 in the Experimental Theater Glej until the baptism performance of the opera A unicorn in 2021.
When the work was published, the author wrote: "In all probability, this monograph would not have existed if there had not been excellent theater photographers. Especially Tone Stojko, who approached theater photography at the end of the 1970s in a completely different way than his older predecessors. His photography was always faithful to the style of the show, but at the same time it was something more. I experienced my performances in a special way through his photographs. It gave me a new perspective on my own creation.
Already in the early 1980s, as well as later, I thought it would be nice to see the theater through a sensitive photographer's eye. That theater photography can be an independent art. Even today, we have quite a few great artist photographers who are very serious about theater photography. That's why I first wanted to compile the present book with only short notes about the performances, and the main part would be photos. Only photographs and impressions remain from the theater performance, which the spectators take away with them. Everything else turns into the dust of oblivion after the last performance."
The exhibition Theater Möderndorfer was created as a kind of "logical continuation" of the monograph. The selection of photos was made by Vinko Möderndorfer with the help of curator mag. Tee Rogelj. Their main criteria were the artistic perfection and expressiveness of the photographs, but at the same time they were also based on the traveling nature of the exhibition - that is, that all the professional theaters in which Vinko Möderndorfer worked were represented at least with a photograph or two. At the same time, they consciously neglected the resonance and popularity of the productions, their importance for theater history, the representation of actors and the weight of their roles, etc.
The entire exhibition includes a selection of 46 photographs from different periods of the director's work, complemented by Vinko Möderndorfer's notes. Tone Stojko takes part in it with sixteen photos, Foto atelier Pavšič Zavadlav with four, Žiga Koritnik and Damjan Švarc with three each, Viktor Berk, Tomaž Lauka, Mare Mutić, Darja Štravs Tisu and Peter Uhan with two each, and Robert Balen with one each , Božo Berk, Gašper Domjan, Sergio Ferrari, Miroslav Košuta, Davorin Križmančič, Blaž Pirman, Simon Stojko Falk, Jože Suhadolnik, Jane Štravs and Boris B. Voglar.
With the exhibition, the creators went to the "scenes of the crime", that is, to the cities and theaters where the performances took place: it was ceremonially opened in June 2023 as part of the Borštnik's Meeting Festival at the Slovenian National Theater in Maribor, and then it was toured in Slovenia the Celje Folk Theatre, the Prešeren Theater in Kranj, the Slovenian National Theater in Nova Gorica and the Slovenian Permanent Theater in Trieste. It came to life differently in each theater - not only because of the different ambiences and spatial possibilities, but also because of the decision of the curator, mag. Tee Rogelj, in cooperation with the host theaters, to complement it each time with a few costumes from the depicted performances.
The installation in the Historical Atrium of the Town Hall is no exception to this - in cooperation with the Slovenian National Opera and Ballet Theater Ljubljana, Theater studios of SNG Opera and Ballet Ljubljana and SNG Drama Ljubljana and top costume designers Alan Hraniletje we are upgrading it with costumes and scenic elements from the christening performance of the Slovenian opera A unicorn Pavla Šivica.
Director Vinko Möderndorfer and costume designer Alan Hranitelj, both recipients of numerous awards, including the Prešeren Fund award, have so far participated in 21 performances, most recently in 2021 at the opera A unicorn.
The exhibition was prepared by the Slovenian Theater Institute (SLOGI) in cooperation with Forum Ljubljana.
Photo from the title board of the exhibition. Peter Božič, Šumi, Slovenian Youth Theatre, premiere on February 27, 2010 (SMG, Stara pošta). Photo: Žiga Koritnik; SMG archive.
Exhibition opening, 27 June 2024 in the Historical Atrium of the Ljubljana City Hall. Photo: Kaja Brezočnik, MOL archives.
From the media:
Möderndorfer Theater exhibition in the Historical Atrium of the City Hall, STA, June 27, 2024
Overview exhibition Moderndorfer Theater, Kulturnice, Val202, July 4, 2024
Touring Exhibition Theater Möderndorfer
Author: Vinko Möderndorfer * Curator: mag. Tea Rogelj * Designer: Nina Šturm
Translator into English: Nataša Jelič * Proofreader: Andraž Polončič Ruparčič * Proofreader for English language: Jana Renée Wilcoxen
Production: Slovenian Theater Institute (for: Dr. Gašper Troha), Forum Ljubljana (for: Eva Rohrman)
In cooperation with the City of Ljubljana, SNG Opera and Ballet Ljubljana and Theater Studio SNG Opera and Ballet Ljubljana and SNG Drama Ljubljana, 2024.
