IRWIN through the camera lens

IRWIN Through the Lens The exhibition IRWIN: Fotografska Dela at Ljubljana’s City Museum offers a rare glimpse into the lesser-known photographic works of one of Slovenia’s most recognizable artistic collectives. The show features more than 50 photographs created as documentation of IRWIN's interventions, performances, and temporary installations, or as independently conceived artistic pieces. This marks the first time such a comprehensive collection has been displayed in one location, providing insight into four decades of the group’s creative output. Established in 1983 in Ljubljana, IRWIN was founded by Dušan Mandić, Miran Mohar, Andrej Savski, Roman Uranjek, and Borut Vogelnik. Though primarily known as painters, their work could never be confined to a single medium. They integrated painting, photography, performance, exhibitions, publishing, and public actions into a unified artistic practice. Utilizing the method of retroprinciple, placing historical images, national symbols, and political motifs into new contexts, they became a key part of the collective Neue Slowenische Kunst (NSK) alongside Laibach and the Gledališče sester Scipion Nasice in 1984. The exhibition is structured around four thematic sections highlighting some of IRWIN’s most impactful projects. The first section focuses on the Svoji k svojim project, which draws inspiration from the conceptual art group OHO. The second section presents works created within the framework of the NSK Država v času series, while the third explores the Was ist Kunst cycle, in which artists reinterpret historical art styles, motives, and other artists' works through heavy wooden frames made of cardboard, wood, and canvas. The fourth section includes individual projects stemming from diverse artistic ideas and initiatives by the collective. In the early years of their activity, the photographic medium served primarily as a documentary tool. However, over time, IRWIN’s photographs evolved into carefully planned artistic works, emerging as meticulously designed situations, actions, or installations captured through the camera lens. The development of photography within IRWIN can be traced back to the guerrilla poster campaign at the Benesse Biennale in 1986, which was preserved largely due to the photograph taken by Darko Pokorn. Their first project explicitly conceived as a photographic artwork was NSK Konzulat Umag, created in collaboration with photographer Francijer Virant. One of the central themes of the exhibition is the homage paid to the conceptual art group OHO. The actions of this mid-20th-century collective were often remembered only through modest black-and-white photographs. IRWIN initially revived these projects through painting, later reinterpreting six of them in 2004 with photographer Tomaz Gregorič, transforming them into high-quality color photographs exhibited at the current show. A similar process is evident in the Was ist Kunst cycle, where artists incorporate historical art styles, motifs, and works by others into new visual forms using materials like cardboard, wood, and canvas. These projects, typically presented as standalone exhibitions, are now preserved only as photographs after their closure. The largest portion of the exhibition is dedicated to NSK Država v času, a 1992 artistic response to the dissolution of Yugoslavia and the emergence of new nation-states. This project represents a state without territory, functioning through its citizens, ideological apparatuses, rituals, and visual codes. It is precisely through photography that these ephemeral institutions become visible and operate convincingly. On display are photographic works from multiple projects that reveal how IRWIN appropriates and recontextualizes visual elements, challenging viewers to reconsider authenticity and repetition.