Everything about me invites you in is an exhibition born in the exploration of Banka Slovenije’s Mala Galerija as a space whose architectural and functional features serve as a starting point for artistic interventions. The architecture, the interior design, the light, the sights and the sounds all become material for the exhibition’s creators to build new relationships between the space and the visitor. The central principle of the exhibition is duplication, which manifests as mirroring, multiplication and echoes. By repeating the existing, it alters relationships and blurs the boundary between the original and the new version. The outside penetrates the gallery interior through sound and perforated film, while the actual gallery begins to function as an image of itself facing outward. Recognisable elements thus remain present, but lose their inherent function and become part of a new spatial logic.
The ceiling is lowered and the space is dimmed; instead of carrying lights, it becomes a surface that encloses and constricts the room. Columns mimic architectural elements of the exterior of the Banka Slovenije building, but do not perform their usual supporting function. Like that of the Atlases, their load-bearing capacity is merely an illusion. Rather than rising from the ground, they appear to be suspended from the ceiling, pulling it downwards. They connect the floor and the ceiling in a way that limits the space. The relief design on the ceiling echoes the compositional structure of the existing light fittings: it takes on their lines and points of intersection, thereby establishing a new similarity with what already exists.
Changes are likewise made to the light. Natural light and standard gallery lighting are replaced by the light of the projector, which is no longer a mere technical tool. The movement of light guides the viewing of the space, while unexpectedly putting the visitor in front of a projection where their silhouette becomes part of the image. The projection thus acts like a spotlight: it reveals, exposes, and momentarily interrupts the observer’s anonymity.
Sound occurs as an echo, without a clear source. The audio intermingles with the sounds of the surroundings – traffic, conversations of passersby, doors closing, and footsteps. The boundary between the sound of the gallery and the sound of the city is therefore no longer clear.
The works thus put the viewer in an uncertain situation. We enter the gallery as an observer, but our role is not stable: the space simultaneously invites us in, and rejects, conceals and exposes us. The dark affords us anonymity, whereas light can suddenly transform us into a subject to be seen.
Duplication is a way of creating new relationships. Imitating what exists creates an environment that is inseparable from it, but no longer entirely resembles it. The gallery is not transformed into something completely different, but rather begins to function as a distorted image of itself – a space where existing structures return as their own echoes.
Exhibition creators: Samra Buljić, Dunja Rahovsky Šuligoj, Isidora Todorić
Mentor: Dr Tomo Stanič
MGBS curator: Ema Kobal
Production: University of Ljubljana