May 13, 2018
As a young student one way to enter the world of art and parties is via the wonder of opening nights, with the free wine and nibbles available to anyone who walked in off the street with the right look and pose, pacing themselves with the drink and peanuts so as not to look too desperate or uncultured, yet not so interesting that someone might actually ask what you do and why you’re here. Gallery hopping was a habit we acquired as a teenager and never lost as the years passed, since it’s well-known that free alcohol is less harmful than paid, and the more you drink of it the more you save, thus ensuring that art has always stayed somewhere near the centre of our lives, and Ljubljana is a fine place to indulge in such pursuits.
Last week’s main event was the opening of the Svetlobna Gverila / Lighting Guerrilla festival, which is stilling taking place at various venues around town, both inside and out, showcasing some fine art works that are best enjoyed when the sun goes down or the lights go out. The first leg was held in the area around Križanke, and continues, while this Wednesday a new part of the grand show opens in Zvezda Park / Congress Square and the Central Market, with the lights on at 21:30. All the details, in English, are here.
Some other events on around town are presented below. As ever, clicking on the venue name will get you more details with regard to the time, price and location, and if you want to get a Ljubljana Tourist Card, which gives you travel on the city buses and entry to a lot of attractions, then you can read more about that here.
CINEMA
You can read about all the cinemas in town here, while a selection of what’s playing this week is below, and note that kid’s movies tend to be shown in dubbed versions, so do check before driving out to a multiplex and dropping off the young ones. (And if you like watching trailers with Slovene subtitles, then catch up on some from earlier this year here.)
Kinodvor – The arts cinema not far from the train station, which also stocks related books, is showing, among other features, LBJ, Early Man (dubbed as Jamski Človek), You Were Never Really Here, and Perseverance (which has some graphic, NSFW content in the trailer).
Kinoteka – The revival house has a Jean Vigo retrospective, among other classics.
Kolosej – The multiplex out at BTC City Mall is playing all the big movies, which this week include Overboard, Nevesta (The Bride), and Avengers: Infinity War, while on Tuesday will start showing Deadpool 2.
Komuna – The cinema in a basement behind Nama department store, perhaps the best located one for casual visitors, is showing Avengers: Infinity War and on Tuesday will also start showing Deadpool 2.
CLUBS
Božidar – Friday the 18th there’s Lost Tapes with Alessandro Adriani, which is being promoted as a night of “EBM leather, dirty industrial and trip wave”. Here one of his previous mixes below.
Channel Zero – Monday night is Dub Lab, this week a night called Overjam Pre Party w/ Overjam Sound, Dejah & Mufajah, Widikal. Friday is then Bojler w/ Jossy Mitsu (UK) & Šuljo Live, with the music policy being given as club, bass, rap, dancehall, baile funk, grime, garage, UK funky and afrobeat.
Gala Hala – Friday you can get down to a night with the name Versus: Dojaja/Shekuza, which promises techno till dawn. Saturday there’s a show called Underground Pulse: Freqshow feat. Fre4knc (NL).
Klub Cirkus – The more banging end of the club scene makes an appearance in the form of TRIP ft. Kosta Radman – Mission #2 on Friday, while on Saturday there’s HouseKeeping pres. Klangkuenstler (Elrow, Toolroom), playing house music all night long.
Klub K4 – Friday night there’s LuckIsOn with Onur Özer and others playing electro, techno, acid and house; while Saturday is SOLVD x Labyrinth Open with After Affair, also with house and techno.
Koncertna Dvorana Rog – The alternative to Metelkova, which should be closing down ‘soon’, his giving over Friday night to techno, as played by Machine City W/ Yan Cook. Here’ a clip of Mr Cook playing a set in Berlin’s famed Tresor.
EXHIBITIONS
Please note that public galleries and museums are closed on Mondays.
Cankerjev dom – The show Ivan Meštrović: Corporeality and Eroticism in Sculpture continues until May 20, while a show linking Meštrović and the architect Jože Plečnik is on until May 20.
International Centre of Graphic Arts – Running until July 29 is David Lynch: Fire on Stage, presenting seventy lithographs from the director.
City Museum – On until June 2 is a show based on A Tombstone of a Veteran of Legio XV Apollinaris, which “brings new findings about the first generation of settlers in the Roman city of Iulia Emona.” The Museum also has a large permanent exhibition on the history of Ljubljana.
Galerija Kresija – Hosted by this gallery, but held at City Hall, at the Robba Fountain end of the Old Town, Tanja Pak: The Tales of a Breath, sculpture exhibition, running from May 9 until June 4. Per the publicity: “Tanja Pak is creatively committed to the artistic spatial installations and design of functional glass objects. Her project The Tales of a Breath is combining glass and ceramic sculptures into a comprehensive experience of a single narrative. In her work, she re-examines the questions of forms of our aloneness and vulnerability.”
Photo: JL Flanner
Galerija Vžigalica – Running from May 11 until June 16, and held both in the gallery and in numerous streets and squares around town, is the annual festival of light, this year called Lighting Guerrilla: Colours. One of the featured artist in the gallery space will be Yoko Seyama, with Melody Dots 14 – Colour, while another is Aleksandra Stratimirović & Athanassios Danilof: Colour Wheels. This week a new part of the grand show opens Wednesday night in Zvezda Park / Congress Square and the Central Market, with the lights on at 21:30.
MAO – a show called Stanko Kristl: Poetry and Humanity in Architecture continues until May 27.
Moderna galerija – The Marij Pregelj retrospective is on at the Moderna’s main branch, near Tivoli. Well worth the entrance fee, this occupies several large rooms, with the works from the last decade of the painter’s life being especially impressive. Highly recommended and showing until May 20, with an example shown below.
Museum of Contemporary History – Renovation work means that the permanent Exhibition “Slovenians in the 20th Century” will temporarily lack the period from 1945-1990, but there are still interesting things to see about the recent past in this museum, set in Tivoli Park.
Mestna Galerija – A show called Tomislav Gotovac: Don't Ask Where We're Going is on until June 10.
National Gallery – Running until June 3 is an exhibition dedicated to Artists of the SAZU (the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts), a great chance to see works from a wide range of Slovenian artists – seize the day.
National Museum of Slovenia – There’s a lull in the temporary shows, but still plenty to see in the permanent collection, from Roman times, Egypt and more.
Photon Centre of Contemporary Photography – Running from March 30th to May 18th there’s a group exhibition called Beyond Myself: Self-portrait in the time of social media.
Slovene Ethnographic Museum – There’s a number of permanent exhibitions here, and it’s conveniently located near one branch of the Moderna galerija and Metelkova.
FAMILIES & KIDS
You can find our Top 10 list of things to do with kids in Ljubljana here, and if want to read more about the philosophy behind the wonderful House of Experiments look here.
Lean more about this happy fellow here. Photo: JL Flanner
LGBTQI+
If you want to learn more about Ljubljana Pride, then take a look at our interview with its president here. The big event this week is IDAHOBiT (International day against homophobia, transphobia and biphobia), marked on May 17, with details here, although you’ll need to hit ‘more’ and scroll for the English.
Klub Monokel – No events are being promoted this week, but that’s no reason not to head to this lesbian bar and see what’s happening
Klub Tiffany – Tuesday evening there’s event that will consider "How to support a friend who is experiencing violence in a lesbian partnership?”, for which applications are required, and the English details are here if you scroll down.
LIVE MUSIC
Arena Stožice – A concert by André Rieu, “the king of waltz”.
Cankerjev dom – Saturday night there’s the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, playing Benjamin Britten, Four Sea Interludes, Op. 33a; Ludwig van Beethoven, Concerto for piano, violin and cello in C Major (Triple Concerto), Op. 56; and Johannes Brahms, Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98.
Channel Zero – Thursday is Level 13: Get Your Gun (DK) + Muzikačaka, with the GYG being promoted as follows “"With their dark heart blues and stoner grooves, Get Your Gun are a perfect way to slip into the endless night. The Danish band create a stunning, brooding atmosphere with their music that paints the same kind of erotically charged black heart landscapes of a Nick Cave or the godlike Gun Club.”
Gala Hala – Wednesday, the 16th, there’s what’s being billed as a farewell concert from Salonski, the neo-folk group. The next night there’s a show by extreme metal combo The Canyon Observer, promoting their new album.
Klub Gromka – Friday night there’s a show by UnderPodnGrabn, Baltazar, and Dust Collector, while Saturday sees Ptičji Mozak Party - SsmKOSK, BRGS, BINE.
Kino Šiška – Wednesday you can see Carnival Youth + Infected.
Ljubljana Castle – Friday night is jazz night at the castle, and this week sees a show by Gitarinet Groove System (Srb), promising an eclectic party groove.
Orto Bar – Captain Morgan’s Revenge is playing here Friday, offering their take on the much-contested genre of pirate metal.
Pritličje – A free live performance and discussion on contemporary R’n’B will be happening on Tuesday evening (and you can read more about this venue here).
Slovenska filharmonija – Thursday and Friday evenings there’s an exciting program where you can hear Rodion Shchedrin: Concerto for Orchestra No. 1, Naughty Limericks; Nina Šenk: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 1; and Sergei Prokofiev: Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 44.
OPERA, THEATRE, DANCE
Pocket Teater Studio – Nothing is scheduled this week, but you can read about the man behind the theatre here.
SNG Opera and Ballet – Thursday, Friday and Saturday you can hear Verdi’s Macbeth.
MISC.
The Balassi Institute (The Cultural Centre of the Embassy of Hungary) – This is at Barvarska steza 8, Ljubljana, not far from Dragon Bridge, and from May 13–25 there are some summer Hungarian classes, with the details here.
Every Friday through the warmer months there’s the Open Kitchen in Ljubljana Market, where you can try food and drink from some the biggest names in town, and you can read more about it here.
Breg Embankment, just opposite the Old Town and by the river, has a small flea market open every Sunday morning. Learn more about it here.
If you’re in town and want to go jogging or walking in nature, why not take another look at the Castle, with a brief guide to the trails here. If you want something bigger, head to Tivoli Park.
Ziferblat – Monday, 20:00, there’s Let’s Talk Slovene, Thursday 17:30 there’s a Taste of Yoga, and on Friday, 17:00, you can try and kill the king at Chess Club (read more about this pay-by-the-minute café here).
TRIPS
Most of Slovenia is only a few hours from Ljubljana, and you can easily visit Lake Bled, Lipica Stud Farm, Postojna Cave, Predjama Castle, the coast and other locations.
