March 11, 2018
The end of the low season is in sight, and those restaurants, cafés and stores downtown that made it through the winter can now breathe a sigh of relief as the tourists start returning and business, one hopes, picks up.
And while we’ll be doing our best to keep the place running by going out most evenings in search of adventure on the streets, we can’t do it alone, and our steady diet of coffee, croissants, ice cream, pizza and craft beer will never support the kind of dynamic, varied economy that Ljubljana needs and its residents deserve. So take a look at some of the cultural delights the city has in store this week, and see if anything appeals. If not, just go out, get a drink, and see what happens (maybe with a cheap meal courtesy of Restaurant Week, which starts on Friday).
As ever, clicking on the venue name will get you more details with regard to the time, price and location.
CINEMA
Cankerjev dom – The 20th Ljubljana Documentary Film Festival starts on Wednesday, with trailers and details here.
Kinodvor – This week’s movies include Oscar-winners The Shape of Water and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, as well as Claire Denis’ Un beau soleil intérieur, The Phantom Thread, Michael Haneke’s Happy End, and Richie Cunningham’s’ The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years.
Kolosej – The multiplex out at BTC City Mall is playing Red Sparrow.
Komuna – The cinema just behind Nama has Lady Bird, The Shape of Water, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and Call Me By Your Name.
Mini Teater – The opening of the Tolerance Festival is marked on Sunday night (18th) with a screening of Claus Räfle’s Die Unsichtbaren (The Invisibles). The movie will be introduced by Frank Stern and followed by discussion with the actor Aaron Altaras and director Claus Räfle.
CLUBS
Channel Zero – Monday night there’s regular Dub Lab: Tigerbalm, with DVS and Freeverse, promising, via Google translate, “a concrete bero dancehall, afro, bashment, soca and related freshly collected bangers, mixed in a typical malignant-eclectic style after a long time. Fun guaranteed!” A recent set from Mr DVS can be heard below.
The same venue, Channel Zero, then has a night of psychedelic music on Friday called Mami's Magic Domačica, with the tunes supplied by Magica, Krištof, Tsujo Twitch and Necropsi.
Gala Hala – Friday has Wave Riders S03E3 “Pommes Lades”, with electro, indie dance, and tech-house, with DJs Torulsson, Kobayashii (see above) and Skinar , and VJ Maii. Saturday is then Bollywood & Bhangra night, with DJs Shanti Priya and Borsan.
Klub Cirkus – Friday there’s New AGE: Episode 3, while Saturday sees BOOM POW MJAW MJAW ft. Matthew Z, with pop, dance & big room anthems.
Klub Gromka – Friday night is Holomondo night, playing indie pop, synthpop and other dance music.
Klub K4 - Friday there’s Festival Tresk #9: Club Night with Mo Vibez and others, while Saturday sees SOLVD with Jack Wickham and others, as follows.
EXHIBITIONS
Aksioma – This small and vibrant space not far from Dragon Bridge (just walk up the hill, away from the Castle, on the corner at Komenskega 18, open noon to 18:00, Tue–Fri) continues with Forensic Fantasies until March 16. This is a show by KairUs (Linda Kronman and Andreas Zingerle) that explores the afterlife of digital waste, such as hard drives, and is being promoted with the following image.
>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 March 6 until April 30 will be hosting a show by László Herman, a Hungarian painter living in Slovenia, with an example shown below.
Cankerjev dom – Running from February 13 to May 20 is Ivan Meštrović: Physicality and eroticism in sculpture, with an example shown below from the venue's Facebook. The same venue also has THE... SIGN! Design between vision and reality, the biennial exhibition of the Designers Society of Slovenia. Finally, there’s a show called Nocturnes, presenting the work of London-based photographer Mike Crawford, which explores the hidden corners of cities.
Ivan Meštrović: Physicality and eroticism in sculpture
City Museum – An extensive exhibition on Medieval Ljubljana is showing until May 2, 2018.
Galerija Vžigalica – From February 27 to April 1 there will be Sea by the City, an exhibition showcasing works from the Trieste art scene.
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.
National Gallery –NeoRealismo: the New Image in Italy, 1932–1960 runs until the end of March at the National Gallery, as shown below, and you can read more about it here.
Nino Migliori. People of Emilia, 1959, Emilia-Romagna. © Fondazione Nino Migliori
National Museum of Slovenia – The Past Under the Microscope. Scientific Analyses in Museums is on until the end of April.
Photon Centre of Contemporary Photography – Running until March 23 is Branko Lenart: Big Sur Real.
Branko Lenart, Pelluhue, Sur-real, 2013
Slovene Ethnographic Museum – Afghanistan - Slovene Views continues until March 30, 2018.
LGBTQ
Kinodvor – There will be several screenings of the acclaimed Slovene documentary Odraščanje (Growing Up), “An intimate portrait of four-month-old Tibor and his mothers, Daja and Jedrt, who battle discrimination of their family.”
Klub Monokel – Nothing has been announced on the events page, so you’ll have to make your own fun at the venue.
Klub Tiffany – Thursday sees the regular Roza Škis night of card and board games, from 19:00 to 23:00.
MUSIC
Božidar – Persons from Porlock are playing here on Wednesday.
Cankerjev dom – Saturday has a concert by the singer Nuša Derenda, with a show titled after the following song.
Channel Zero – Wednesday there’s a concert by Karmakoma and Onubo.
Klub Gromka – Saturday is Thrash Attack with Enclave and Lintver.
Kino Šiška – Friday there’s a show by The Game.
Ljubljana Castle – Friday night is jazz night at the castle, and this week sees a show by the David Jarh Kvartet (Slo/It), playing Latin Jazz.
Nostalgija Vintage Café – Friday night there’s live blues with Miha Erič & Grega Crnkovič, while Saturday night there’s a DJ playing rockabilly, trash country, psychobilly, rock'n'roll, jive,blues, ska, 50's punk, 60's garage and doo wop.
VIDEO
Orto Bar – Saturday night there’s a St. Patrick's Day Party with Happy Ol' McWeasel.
OPERA, THEATRE, DANCE
Cankerjev dom – The venue will be hosting the Pripovedovalski Storytelling Festival, which seems to be mostly in Slovenian, from March 16–24, but the details are here if you want to explore.
Thursday and Friday the same venue will see performances of Firebird, “A crossbreed between brash rock concert and flamenco choreography ‘peppered with’ performance art...the first creative collaboration between dancer and performance artist Ana Predin Pandur and musician Giani Poposki, lead vocalist of Noctiferia, an internationally renowned heavy-metal band.”
Pocket Teater Studio – Thursday night there’s tango, music and poetry at one of the most intimate venues in town, with the accordion player Jure Tori, while Alja Ferme and Sašo Živanović will be dancing in a corner.
SNG Opera & Ballet – Verdi’s La Traviata will be taking the stage on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, while Mozart’s Don Giovanni will be strutting the boards on Saturday. Note that the following videos were not shot in Ljubljana.
POLITICS
On Monday the parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee will host Israeli Ambassador Eyal Sela and Palestinian Ambassador Salah Abdel Shafi for consultations over the recognition of Palestine.
MISC
On Tuesday the 57th international Home Fair will open in Ljubljana, featuring 590 companies from 33 countries supplying goods, services and technologies for home construction and renovation, and running until March 18.
Teachers are expected to go on strike on Wednesday.
Ziferblat – Thursday evening there’s Meet the Locals, while on Friday there’s Open Mic Night.
