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Open-air art: forma viva and street exhibitions

Check out forma viva sculptures and exhibitions by contemporary creatives under peaceful skies.

Art exhibitions under the stars

Enter into art galleries without walls, with no doors or windows, and with only the heavens for a roof. Take a look at the forma viva sculptures, living art in public spaces, which have inspired artists all over the world. Stroll among paintings and photos exhibited in squares, streets, parks and avenues. Get to know modern art in galleries open to all, at any time.

Forma viva: the live space of artistic expression

Come and see the places where the forma viva sculptures were created from stone, wood and steel, during international sculpture symposiums.

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Kostanjevica na Krki

In the immediate vicinity of the Božidar Jakac gallery and around Kostanjevica na Krki there are more than 100 sculptures created by artists from all over the world in biennial international symposiums. The pieces are exclusively made from oak, which is the typical basic construction material in this region.

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Ravne na Koroškem

Stroll through the town to discover steel masterpieces made by global artists. The steel forma viva sculptures are a major attraction of the town of Ravne na Koroškem. Working with craftsmen from the Ravne steelworks, artists and sculptors from fifteen different countries have created more than thirty remarkable works from iron and steel that enrich the architectural appearance of the town and the surrounding districts, and make up one of the most distinctive open-air exhibitions in Europe.

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Portorož forma viva

The collection of stone sculptures was first created in 1961 at the initiative of two Slovenian artists, Jakob Savinšek and Janez Lenassi. Over the next 60 years of constant work, sculptors from more than thirty different countries have left more than 130 stone sculptures, garlanded by olive trees of varieties local to Piran.

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Foto: Milan Sternad

Makole forma viva

At first sight Makole is an entirely ordinary village on the western edge of the Haloze region. But look a little deeper, and you’ll see that in it there lurks an artistic soul. This comes to expression in the form of sculptures set along a local road named the Forma Viva Path. The ten kilometres of pathway are home to more than 190 sculptures created by the hands of international artists over the last twenty years.

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Maribor forma viva

Wandering around Maribor, you’ll come across large concrete sculptures created by artists from seven different countries between 1967 and 1986 as part of the forma viva sculpture symposiums. Nineteen of the works can be found at key focal points in Maribor’s city life. The sculptures are the offspring of the creative energies of artists and the once-flourishing construction industry in Maribor, and have set an example of how works of art can become part of the contemporary urban infrastructure.

 

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Foto: Pija Japelj

Local forma viva in Tržič

If you find your way to Tržič, seek out the works created by the renowned Slovenian sculptors Drago Vit Rozman, Peter Abram, Jure Smole, Jiři Bezlaj and Metod Frlec. To make it easier for you, we should mention that the local forma viva sculptures can be found at important locations in the town: in front of the town museum, by the main church, on the promenade along Cankarjeva cesta, in front of the primary school, and in Podljubelj.

Open-air galleries never close

In certain towns and certain places there’s no need to check the time before visiting a gallery. Open-air galleries can be viewed at any time, whether it’s during your daily errands or on a stroll beneath the stars.

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Street art: contemporary art on the city streets

Street art gives city centers an urban character. Graffiti, murals, stickers and other forms of artistic expression of this kind, which use the city as a canvas, have long been not only a medium of rebellion, but have also enriched the image and offering by Slovenian cities through numerous initiatives, festivals, visits by artists, street galleries and guided tours.

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Experience Slovenia’s cultural vibrancy in your own way

Discover Slovenian culture and the cultural experience inside and outside walls.

Museums that will surprise you

Museums are fun. If the usual tired objects and stale facts are not doing it for you any more, you’ll be sure to change your mind when you visit one of Slovenia’s special museums.

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