Maleficae: Sodni stolp / The Judgement Tower

[ENG below]

Maleficae: Sodni stolp
UGM Kabinet, Strossmayerjeva ulica 6
18. junij – 13. avgust 2026
otvoritev: četrtek, 18. junij 2026, 19.00

umetnice in umetnika: Veronika Eberhart, Mitja Ficko, Vala T. Foltyn, Anamaria Klajnšček, Katalin Kortmann-Járay in Karina Mendreczky, Ana Likar, Chloé Macary-Carney, Dorottya Poór
kuratorki in kurator: Flóra Gadó, Jure Kirbiš, Dalma Eszter Kollár

Zdi se, da so mnoge krize preteklega obdobja med ljudmi obudile zanimanje za duhovnost, saj alternativni sistemi verovanj in praks vse več ljudem ponujajo bodisi pobeg od resničnosti bodisi način soočanja z dogodki, ki se odvijajo okoli njih. Med generacijama Y in Z so še posebej razširjene duhovne prakse, kot so branje tarota, zdravljenje s kristali in rastlinami ter astrologija.

Maleficae: Sodni stolp je tretje poglavje razstavnega projekta Maleficae: Od grmad do spletnega čarovništva, ki je premierno zaživel v Budapest Galéria leta 2024. Izhajajoč iz zgoraj navedenih tendenc se je razstava osredotočila na figuro čarovnice: nosilke nekanoničnega znanja, izvajalke neinstitucionalnih oblik zdravljenja in pionirke feminizma, ki se ni želela podrediti družbenim normam svojega časa ter je pogosto nudila podporo in solidarnost drugim ženskam. Drugo poglavje razstave se je lani odvilo v Galéria Šopa v Košicah.

Na razstavi v UGM Kabinetu so predstavljena nekatera dela, ki so bila na razstavi v Budimpešti, skupaj z nekaj novo izbranimi deli. Mednarodna skupinska razstava je z Mariborom povezana na dva neposredna načina. Prvič, Sodni stolp ob reki Dravi v bližini galerije, ki naj bi po lokalnem izročilu bil prizorišče čarovniških procesov, razstavi daje njen podnaslov. Zato se ta različica projekta Maleficae posebej posveča zgodovinski reinterpretaciji čarovniških procesov – brutalnemu utišanju in kaznovanju žensk, ki se je začelo v poznem srednjem veku. Drugič, sodobna umetniška dela vstopajo v dialog z zbirko Umetnostne galerije Maribor, konkretno s Polnočno šolo slikarja Mitje Ficka, ki je postavljena v središče razstave in upodablja divje srečanje modrih žensk.

Od lova na čarovnice v srednji in vzhodni Evropi (Katalin Kortmann-Járay in Karina Mendreczky, Ana Likar) do sodobnih feminističnih raziskovanj pod vplivom pisanja Silvie Federici (Veronika Eberhart), razstava zgodovino obravnava kot cikličen proces in zastavlja vprašanje, kako umetnice pretekle dogodke premišljajo na novo, z namenom projekcije v sedanjost.

Razstava vključuje tudi izbor zinov ter otvoritveni performans Anamarie Klajnšček.

V sodobnosti je poimenovanje čarovnica lahko še zmeraj doumeto slabšalno, vendar pa se je arhetip čarovnice skozi prizmo fikcije – pravljice, književnost, film – in teorije razvil v bolj plastovito razumevanje ženske pozicije skozi čas. Danes so nekatere ženske poimenovanje rehabilitirale in si ga prisvajajo kot izraz identitete in skupnosti v rodovni liniji preganjanih žensk.

Kljub temu, da smo razstavi dali podnaslov, povezan z izročilom domnevnih čarovniških procesov v Sodnem stolpu, pa avtorji razstave želimo osvetliti tudi dejstvo, da tovrstne zgodbe pogosto utrjujejo stereotipe in banalizirajo nasilje nad ženskami. Zgodbe o čarovniških procesih, kot npr. turistična zanimivost, razkrivajo morbidno fascinacijo nad mučenjem in uničevanjem ženskih teles, medtem ko žrtve tega nasilja še vedno naslavljajo kot čarovnice, čeprav to niso bile.

Z željo po demitologizaciji domnevnega dogajanja v Sodnem stolpu smo k sodelovanju povabili zgodovinarja Borisa Hajdinjaka. Pripravil je zapis v povezavi.

Razstava Maleficae: Sodni stolp v UGM Kabinetu je plod sodelovanja med Budapest Galéria – osrednjo mestno institucijo za sodobno umetnost v madžarski prestolnici – in Umetnostno galerijo Maribor, ki je lani obrodilo razstavo Ko smo postali tujci. Izbor s trienala EKO 9 v Budapest Galéria. Razstavo podpira Lisztov inštitut – Madžarski kulturni center Ljubljana.

Več o razstavi: https://www.ugm.si/razstave/maleficae

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Maleficae: The Judgement Tower
UGM Kabinet, Strossmayerjeva ulica 6
18 June – 13 August 2026
opening: Thursday, 18 June 2026, 19:00

Artists: Veronika Eberhart, Mitja Ficko, Vala T. Foltyn, Anamaria Klajnšček, Katalin Kortmann-Járay in Karina Mendreczky, Ana Likar, Chloé Macary-Carney, Dorottya Poór
Curators: Flóra Gadó, Jure Kirbiš, Dalma Eszter Kollár

The many crises of recent years have renewed interest in spirituality, with alternative belief systems and practices offering increasing numbers of people either an escape from reality or a means of coping with the events unfolding around them. Among Generations Y and Z, spiritual practices such as tarot reading, crystal and plant healing, and astrology have become especially widespread.

Maleficae: The Judgement Tower is the third chapter of Maleficae: From Bonfires to Online Witchcraft, which premiered at the Budapest Gallery in 2024. Departing from the observations above, the exhibition focused on the figure of the witch: a bearer of non-canonical knowledge, a practitioner of non-institutional forms of healing, and a pioneer of feminism who refused to conform to the social norms of her time, often providing support and solidarity to other women. The second chapter of the exhibition was staged at Šopa Gallery in Košice last year.

This latest re-curated version presents works from the original exhibition alongside newly selected artworks for the present occasion. The international group exhibition has two direct connections to Maribor. First, the Judgement Tower, located by the river Drava near the gallery and, according to local legend, a site of witch trials, lends the exhibition its subtitle. Accordingly, this iteration of Maleficae places particular emphasis on the historical reinterpretation of witch trials: the brutal silencing and punishment of women beginning in the late Middle Ages. Second, the contemporary artworks enter into dialogue with the collection of the Maribor Art Gallery, namely The Midnight School by painter Mitja Ficko, positioned as the centre of the exhibition and depicting a wild gathering of wise women.

From the witch hunts of Central and Eastern Europe (Katalin Kortmann-Járay and Karina Mendreczky, Ana Likar) to contemporary feminist investigations inspired by the writings of Silvia Federici (Veronika Eberhart), the exhibition approaches history as cyclical and asks how artists revisit past events in order to project them into the present.

The exhibition will also feature a selection of zines and an opening performance by Anamaria Klajnšček.

In present time, the term “witch” can still be understood as derogatory; however, through the lens of fiction – fairy tales, literature, film – and theory, the archetype of the witch has evolved into a more layered understanding of women’s position throughout history. Today, some women have reclaimed the term and adopt it as an expression of identity and community within a lineage of persecuted women.

Although we have given the exhibition the subtitle connected to the legend of the supposed witch trials associated with the Judgement Tower, the exhibition’s authors also wish to highlight the fact that such stories often reinforce stereotypes and trivialize violence against women. Narratives about witch trials, when presented as a tourist attraction, for example, reveal a morbid fascination with the torture and destruction of women’s bodies, while the victims of this violence are still referred to as witches, even though they were not.

In an effort to demythologize the alleged events connected to the Judgement Tower, we invited historian Boris Hajdinjak to collaborate on the project. You may find his text linked here.

The exhibition Maleficae: The Judgment Tower in UGM Kabinet is the result of a collaboration between Budapest Gallery – Hungarian capital’s leading municipal institution for contemporary art – and UGM | Maribor Art Gallery. Last year, this partnership produced the exhibition When We Became Strangers. Selection from the EKO 9 Triennial at Budapest Gallery. The exhibition is supported by the Liszt Institute – Hungarian Cultural Centre Ljubljana.

More at: https://www.ugm.si/en/exhibitions/exhibitions/maleficae-the-judgment-tower