March 25, 2018
The clocks have changed, and in exchange for losing an hour we gain longer, lighter evenings to enjoy – a fair deal, in our book, because the city’s so much nicer at this time of year, when you can dress with less care and sit outside without a hat. One sign of this change is the return of the Open Kitchen each Friday to the Central Market, where you can compare and contrast the offerings from many different restaurants before making your choice (see more here).
Two other things to note with regard to the calendar.
First, the upcoming week sees Good Friday and Easter Sunday, which means the stores will close earlier and some other things may be irregular, so pay attention to the special hours posted outside your supermarket and shop accordingly.
Second, no joke items have been included in this list, despite it covering April 1, and we’ve seen some places promoting events for that day that are clearly fictional (although if Samantha Fox really does turn up at Nostalgija we’ll be kicking ourselves to the middle of the month).
As ever, clicking on the venue name should get you more details with regard to the time, price and location.
Image Snatchers are back at Klub Gromka this Thursday, where things like this might happen. Photo by Nada Žgank - Image Snatchers' Facebook
CINEMA
You can read about all the cinemas in town here, while a selection of what’s playing this week is below.
Kinodvor – The art cinema not far from the train station is hosting the 3rd Kinotrip International Film Festival – By the Youth for the Youth. The full program is here, and the short season includes screenings of the German language Schultersieg (Win by Fall), with that at 16:00 on Wednesday followed by a Q&A with the world-class young athletes Zarja Tavčar (judo), Vita Lukan (sport climbing) and Toni Vodišek (sailing). The season also includes the animated move The Breadwinner and the UK classic Kes. The Francophone Film Festival is also still on (more here).
Kolosej – The multiplex out at BTC City Mall is playing Pacific Rim: Uprising, Tomb Raider (in 2 and 3D presentations), Black Panther, Lady Bird and I, Tonya, among others.
Komuna – The basement cinema behind Nama department store is playing The Darkest Hour, with Gary Oldman looking like Winston Churchill, and two other Oscar winners, The Shape of Water and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing…
CLUBS
Gala Hala – Friday there’s an act called Tall Black Guy, from Detroit, mixing hip hop, beat, soul and house. If you like the sound of that, then listen to the mix below.
Klub Cirkus – Friday there’s a night called CRAZY Cirkus: March Madness, with big room dance anthems, as mixed by DJs Clay Clemens and Timo G. Saturday then sees Tutti Frutti, with a personal appearance by “Slovenia’s Ricky Martin”, a man called Sebastian. You can see him in action after Timo G’s mix, below. Finally, on Sunday the pop-up club Kurzschluss is having a charity night, with future house from Don Diablo.
Klub K4 – Friday night there’s drum’n’bass, in an event promoted with the name K4DNB w/ InsideInfo (UK) [Viper, Critical, Virus], with set from Mr InsideInfo below. Saturday then sees K4 Roza Resurrection, which, according to Google Translate, will offer go go dancers as well as other, varied attractions. Sunday, April 1st, then has a night of Techno Oldies Goldies, which will also feature old school breakbeat tracks, with one of the DJs being Dojaja, as head in the second embedded feature below.
Koncertna Dvorana Rog – Friday the 30th there’s a night called Cosmic Sex w/ SZCH, Christian Kroupa & NIOBE at this interesting space at the far end of Trubarjeva cesta. There’s a full program of DJs playing techno, house, lo fi, electro, breakbeat, and experimental, including from Jaša Bužinel, one of whose sets is available below.
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). There’s a show called cellout.me by Jeroen van Loon, a man who sold his DNA data, and this runs until April 20
>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.
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.
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.
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 from March 30th to May 18th there’s a group exhibition called Beyond Myself: Self-portrait in the time of social media, including the following image from Paula Muhr, titled Etat Normal (2009).
Slovene Ethnographic Museum – Afghanistan - Slovene Views continues until March 30, 2018.
LGBTQI+
Klub Monokel – Friday there’s a night with Grega Repovž, Tritch, and Mraz, with a set from the middle name below.
Klub Tiffany – No events have been announced, but there’s still fun to had at this gay club, which can be found in Metelkova, next to Monokol.
LIVE MUSIC
Cankerjev dom – Wednesday the 27th will see an acoustic concert by the Croatian band Lačni Franz, playing new arrangements of their most popular songs.
Friday then has a show by Daniel Melingo and his band, with the venue promoting it as follows: “The Argentine tango artist is making a big comeback with his new album, Anda. Like an illusionist straight out of a Borges novella, Melingo is back, with his voice, his clarinet and his sense of drama. Listening to Anda is like enjoying a Fellini film with your eyes closed, losing yourself in a display of sound designed as a suite of baroque scenes in which each piece pulsates and destabilises us.”
Channel Zero – Thursday there’s Level 12, with the post-jazz psych quartet The Evil Usses (UK) and experimental pop weirdos Styröfoam (Slovenia). Friday the same venue hosts Kontradikshn, playing electronic rock, synth-punk and breakbeat, along with support. Saturday is then Banana Party, featuring something punkier, with Backstage, GUB, and Kreshesh Nepitash (the third video below).
Klub Gromka – Saturday night this small klub in Metelkova has a show from Trrmà, Mimi Kawouin, Kikiriki, and Staš Vrenko. The first on that list is being promoted with the following text and video: “their sound finds inspiration in electro-acoustic music, abstract electronics, grindcore, Japanese noise, Mediterranean and classics.”
Kino Šiška – Thursday is Piano Day 2018, with Peter Broderick and Rok Zalokar, with the former shown below. Friday then has a show by Partibrejkers, who Wikipedia states are “one of the most acclaimed acts of the Yugoslav rock scene”. You can see them in the second video below, as introduced by Jim Jarmusch and joined by Johnny Depp.
Koncertna Dvorana Rog – Saturday night there’s a show by Giraffe Men featuring Marietta Sisters, “energetic garage rock German band”, with support from the local group Monstrumental. The following video shows some of the excitement you’re in for.
Ljubljana Castle – Friday night is jazz night at the castle, and this week sees a show by Metod Man (Slovenia), and not Method Man, playing 70's funk, soul and R’n’B, as shown below.
Nostalgija Vintage Café – Friday night there’s Harp Explosion, promising dirty garage harmonica madness (read more about the venue here).
Orto Bar – Ortofest kicks on March 29 and runs until April 12, featuring a lot of bands and varied music, starting Thursday with Hamo & Tribute 2 Love (see below), and followed on Saturday with Jinx, also shown below.
OPERA, THEATRE, DANCE
Klub Gromka – Thursday night there’s one of my favourite shows, the cabaret-style technoburlesque of Image Snatchers / Tatovi podob. Expect music, dancing, some nudity and much laughter, with a performance that can be fully enjoyed by non-Slovene speakers, perhaps less so by the Church. UPDATE: due to illness this show has been cancelled.
Tatovi podob srečajo Umetnost provokacije / Image Snatchers Meet The Art of Provocation from Cityofwomen on Vimeo.
Pocket Teater Studio – Friday night one of the smallest venues in town is presenting another in its series of flamenco nights, with Katja Šulc and Urška Centa: Noches de Tablao VI, which is bring promoted as follows: “The cycle of flamenco concerts Noches de tablao is returning to Pocket Teater with a mysterious and enchanting gypsy project, joining two women artists. A musician Katja Šulc and a dancer Urška Centa will be exploring together the musical and dance tradition of Spain, Eastern Europe and Balkans, accompanied by a renowned musician Robert Jukič. Welcome to our small and intimate scene to enjoy the magic of flamenco, gypsy music, poetry, wine and tapas" UPDATE: This show is now sold out - better luck next time.
Pocket Teater's (sic) Facebook page
SNG Opera & Ballet – Beauty and the Beast (Lepotica in zver) by Philip Glass, will be performed on stage Tuesday to Thursday night. For those worried about the length of some of Glass’ other works, note that this is set to run from 19:30 to 22:00.
MISC
Arena Stožice – On Tuesday the Slovenian national football team will play a friendly match with Belarus.
Kino Šiška – Saturday sees the ARTish art fair, from 10:00 to 19:00.
Ziferblat – Thursday evening there’s Meet the Locals and Saturday morning a Vegan Brunch, with other things going on almost every day at this great space to settle in, chill out, and make friends (read more about this pay-by-the-minute café here).
