Ajda Kalan: Halucinogena basen

𝐀𝐣𝐝𝐚 𝐊𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧: 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐚 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐧
23. 9.–25. 10. 2026
Stekleni atrij ljubljanske Mestne hiše

📌𝐎𝐝𝐩𝐫𝐭𝐣𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐳𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐯𝐞: 𝐬𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐚, 𝟐𝟑. 𝟗. 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔, 𝐨𝐛 𝟏𝟖. 𝐮𝐫𝐢

🔹Delavnica kvačkanja z Ajdo Kalan: sreda, 7. 10. 2026, ob 17. uri

Ajda Kalan h kiparstvu pristopa s celostnim konceptom grajenja svetov (»worldbuilding«), značilnega za domišljijska dela v polju literature, videoiger ali filma. Umetnica simbiozo in pripovedno nit med posameznimi deli razstave vzpostavlja s prepletom kiparske prakse, zapisov poetičnega mišljenja zoomorfnih bitij ter risb, ki kiparskim instalacijam dodatno definirajo življenjsko okolje. Stekleni atrij se z intervencijo spremeni v akvarij-terarij, v katerem se v slogu basni pripovedujejo zgodbe magičnih prebivalcev in njihovih pravljično skrivnostnih odnosov ter načinov bivanja, med katere vstopamo kot obiskovalci. Pod naslovom Halucinogena basen se vzpostavlja vznemirljiv stik med starodavnim in sodobnim: med psihedelično, vizualno intenzivno estetiko ter obdobjem pripovedi, vraž, ritualov in magičnih možnosti. Dialog med voluminoznimi, barvitimi plastikami in razraščanjem tekstila kot micelija spretno manipulira z gledalčevo perspektivo in očesno zaznavo v odnosu do barv, materiala in narave ter poglablja občutek transcendentalne izkušnje kot umika iz preveč dobro poznanega, pesimistično predvidljivega in utrujajočega sistema bivanja. (Sara Nuša Golob Grabner)

𝐀𝐣𝐝𝐚 𝐊𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧 (2002) zaključuje dodiplomski študij kiparstva na Akademiji za likovno umetnost in oblikovanje v Ljubljani. V svoji umetniški praksi izhaja iz zanimanja za obliko, material ter odnose med človekom in živaljo. Osredotoča se na vprašanja identitete, družbenih vlog in človekovega odnosa do naravnega sveta, pri čemer združuje človeške in živalske značilnosti ter ustvarja hibridne figure. V zadnjem obdobju svoje kiparsko raziskovanje vse bolj povezuje s pripovedjo. Skulpture razume ne le kot samostojne objekte, temveč kot like v prizoru, ki lahko skupaj tvorijo začetek ali fragment zgodbe oziroma pesmi. Svoje delo razvija na presečišču kiparstva, instalacije in pripovedi ter raziskuje, kako lahko skulptura postane nosilec zgodb o odnosih med ljudmi, živalmi in naravnim svetom. Svoja dela je predstavila na številnih skupinskih in samostojnih razstavah, med drugim na razstavah Kabinet čudes (Galerija Univerze v Ljubljani, 2023), Novembra smo (Filozofska fakulteta, 2023), Grafika in poezija: dialog (DobraVaga, 2025), Sveže ribe #ozimnica (DobraVaga, 2025) in RUPA: Kar cveti v temi (Zgodovinski atrij Mestne hiše v Ljubljani, 2026). Samostojno je razstavljala na razstavah Hop čez travnik (Zorica, 2024), Veliko uho skrivnosti (RUPA, 2025) in Zagozden (Mostiček – pritlična garsonjera, 2025). Sodelovala je tudi na razstavah v Arboretumu Volčji Potok (2023, 2024, 2025) ter na razstavi Ponjava s5 (Miklošičeva ulica 34, 2025).

Avtorica razstavnega besedila: Sara Nuša Golob Grabner
Kuratorka: Maša Žekš
Foto: arhiv umetnice
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𝐀𝐣𝐝𝐚 𝐊𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧: 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐅𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬
23. 9.–25. 10. 2026
Glass Atrium, Ljubljana Town Hall

📌𝐄𝐱𝐡𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐖𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝟐𝟑 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔, 𝟔 𝐩𝐦

🔹Accompanying event: crochet workshop with Ajda Kalan: Wednesday, October 7 2026, 5 pm

Ajda Kalan approaches sculpture with a holistic concept of worldbuilding, otherwise typical of works of fiction in the fields of literature, video games and film. The artist establishes a symbiosis and a narrative thread between the different exhibited sections by interweaving the sculptural practice, records of the animals’ poetic thoughts, and drawings that further define the living environment of the sculptural installations. Through this intervention, the Glass Atrium is transformed into an aquarium-terrarium, within which stories are told of magical creatures and their fairy-tale-like, mysterious relationships and ways of life, into which we step as visitors. Under the title Hallucinogenic Fables, an intriguing interplay is being established between the ancient and the contemporary: between a psychedelic, visually intense aesthetic and the era of stories, superstitions, rituals and magical possibilities. The dialogue between the voluminous, colourful sculptures and the textiles sprawling like mycelium, skilfully manipulates the viewer’s perspective and visual perception in relation to colour, material and nature, while also enhancing the sensation of a transcendental experience as an escape from a system of existence that has become all too familiar, pessimistically predictable and exhausting. (Sara Nuša Golob Grabner)

𝐀𝐣𝐝𝐚 𝐊𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧 (2002) is completing her undergraduate degree in sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana. Her artistic practice stems from an interest in form, materials, and the relationships between humans and animals. She explores questions of identity, social roles, and humanity’s relationship with the natural world by combining human and animal characteristics to create hybrid figures. Recently, she has increasingly linked her sculptural exploration with storytelling. Rather than viewing sculptures merely as standalone objects, she considers them as characters within a scene that, together, can form the beginning or a fragment of a story or a poem. She develops her work at the intersection of sculpture, installation and narrative, exploring how sculpture can convey stories about the relationships between people, animals and the natural world. She has presented her work at numerous group and solo exhibitions, including ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’ (University of Ljubljana Gallery, 2023), ‘It Is November’ (Faculty of Arts, 2023), ‘Prints and Poetry: A Dialogue’ (DobraVaga, 2025), Fresh Fish #winterstore (DobraVaga, 2025) and ‘RUPA: What Blooms in the Dark’ (Historical Atrium of Ljubljana Town Hall, 2026). Her solo exhibitions include ‘Hop Across the Meadow’ (Zorica, 2024), ‘The Big Ear of Secrets’ (RUPA, 2025) and ‘Stuck’ (Mostiček – ground-floor studio flat, 2025). She has also taken part in exhibitions at the Volčji Potok Arboretum (2023, 2024, 2025) and in the exhibition Ponjava s5 (34 Miklošičeva Street, 2025).

Autor of the exhibition text: Sara Nuša Golob Grabner
Curator: Maša Žekš
Photo: author’s archive