Nal Kocjan: The Blue Butterfly

𝐍𝐚𝐥 𝐊𝐨𝐜𝐣𝐚𝐧: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐁𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐥𝐲
24. 3.–19. 4. 2026
Desni atrij ljubljanske Mestne hiše

📌𝐎𝐝𝐩𝐫𝐭𝐣𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐳𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐯𝐞: 𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐤, 𝟐𝟒. 𝟑. 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔, 𝐨𝐛 𝟏𝟖. 𝐮𝐫𝐢

🎨Vodstvo in zin delavnica: torek, 31. 3. 2026, ob 17. uri. V sodelovanju z Legebitro.

The Blue Butterfly je fotografski projekt Nala Kocjana, ki je nastal oktobra 2023. Raziskuje izkušnje trans moških po opravljeni zgornji operaciji. Projekt združuje studijske portrete, polaroide in sekvenci črno-belega analognega filma, ki obiskovalcem dajejo vpogled v zgodbe, identiteto in telo subjektov. Studijski portreti poudarjajo samozavest in prisotnost trans moških v svetu, polaroidi prikazujejo intimne trenutke v zasebnih prostorih, sekvenci pa simbolizirata prehod in osvoboditev. Leta 2024 je v sodelovanju z društvom DIH nastal zin, ki povezuje vizualni material z dodanimi intervjuji in citati z družbenim in kulturnim kontekstom. Nal Kocjan skozi svoje delo raziskuje identiteto in vidnost trans moških.
(Mars Ema Pečkaj)

𝐍𝐚𝐥 𝐊𝐨𝐜𝐣𝐚𝐧 je vizualni umetnik, ki v svojem delu skozi različne fotografske pristope ozavešča o skupnosti LGBTIQ+ in mentalnem zdravju. Njegova praksa združuje studijsko, analogno in digitalno fotografijo ter pogosto izhaja iz osebnih in skupnostnih izkušenj. Projekt The Blue Butterfly je nastal leta 2023 kot predstavitev lastne izkušnje trans moškega, njegova motivacija pa izvira iz njega in njegovih izkušenj ter želje po večji vidnosti njegove skupnosti, njeni samoreprezentaciji ter vpogledu v njeno intimo.
Trenutno zaključuje študij fotografije na Akademiji za likovno umetnost in oblikovanje v Ljubljani, kjer je projekt tudi nastal.
Njegovo delo se giblje med dokumentarnim in režijskim, pri čemer zavestno prepleta estetiko modne fotografije z intimnimi, osebnimi trenutki.
Z uporabo različnih tehnik (od studijskih portretov do analognih sekvenc in polaroidov) gradi večplasten vizualni jezik, ki poudarja prehod, ritual in prostor samoprepoznanja. Avtor vstopa v lastne projekte tudi avtobiografsko, s čimer briše mejo med opazovalcem in subjektom ter odpira prostor za afirmativno, a neidealizirano predstavitev trans izkušenj.
S svojimi projekti si prizadeva povečevati vidnost in razumevanje trans izkušenj ter skozi vizualni jezik fotografije prispevati k širši družbeni ozaveščenosti o tej tematiki.

Foto: Nal Kocjan
Podpornik: Legebitra, Okvir
______________
=EN
𝐍𝐚𝐥 𝐊𝐨𝐜𝐣𝐚𝐧: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐁𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐥𝐲
24. 3.–19. 4. 2026
Right Atrium, Ljubljana Town Hall

📌𝐄𝐱𝐡𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝟐𝟒. 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔, 𝟔 𝐩𝐦

🎨Guided tour and zine workshop: Tuesday, 31 March 2026, 5 pm. In cooperation with Legebitra.

The Blue Butterfly is a photography project by Nal Kocjan, created in October 2023. It explores the experiences of trans men who have undergone top surgery. Combining studio portraits, Polaroids and sequences of black-and-white analogue film, the project gives visitors insight into the subjects’s stories, identities, and bodies. The studio portraits emphasise the confidence and presence of trans men in the world, the Polaroids capture intimate moments in private spaces, while the sequences symbolise transition and liberation. In 2024, a zine was created in collaboration with the DIH association, integrating the visual material with interviews and quotes that provide a social and cultural context. Through his work, Nal Kocjan explores the identity and visibility of trans men.
(Mars Ema Pečkaj)

𝐍𝐚𝐥 𝐊𝐨𝐜𝐣𝐚𝐧 is a visual artist who employs a variety of photographic techniques in his work to raise awareness of the LGBTIQ+ community and mental health issues. His practice combines studio, analogue, and digital photography, often drawing on personal and community experiences. The Blue Butterfly project was created in 2023 to present his own experience as a trans man. His motivation stems from himself and his own experiences, as well as his desire for greater visibility for his community, its self-representation, and an insight into its intimacy. He is currently completing a photography degree at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana, where he developed the project.
His work ranges from documentary to directorial, consciously intertwining the aesthetics of fashion photography with intimate, personal moments. Using techniques ranging from studio portraits to analogue sequences and Polaroids, he creates a multi-layered visual language that emphasises transition, ritual, and the space of self-recognition. He also gets autobiographically involved in his own projects, blurring the line between observer and subject and opening up space for an affirmative yet non-idealized portrayal of trans experiences.
Through his projects, he aims to enhance the visibility and understanding of trans experiences and contribute to a broader social understanding of this topic through the visual language of photography.

Photo: Nal Kocjan
Supported by: Legebitra, Okvir