Jurij Hartman is a visual artist of the youngest generation, working in the fields of painting, graphic design, installation and multimedia production. His art practice combines all these areas and intertwines them with his interest in the theoretical fields of cultural analysis, media theory and semiotics. His work generally explores the mediated image, the structure of its content and the role of technology and various interfaces within that, as well as the effects it has on our perception and understanding.

In the exhibition at Hiša kulture, the artist creates a journey through the three exhibition spaces, confronting the viewer with the various ways in which media content is conveyed and their own reactions to it. In the first space, the artist exhibits selected works from the 010058211020 series, which show the technological background of various visual images.
In the diptychs, he presents digital vector and photo images as well as their technological codes in text form, limiting himself to only a specific section of the work, which is determined by the uniform format of the series. In the triptychs from the same series, he presents the disparity between the image and the technological complexity of its background using the example of film and video. To demonstrate the temporality of this image type, he takes 5 minutes and 8 seconds from the film Dr. Strangelove (1964) and 8 seconds from the video documentation of Six Books on 1968 (1969) by artist Hanna Darboven, freezes them through optical scanning and compiles them into a new composition. In this way, the selected part of the film or video is transformed into a static image, while the dynamics of its framing and editing are preserved. In the second space, the viewer encounters a video installation that includes an alternating black-and-white animation on 4 screens and sound, both of which together offer a synaesthetic sensory experience of the mediated content. In the last space, the viewer walks through 8 monolithic columns illuminated by powerful spotlights that create sharp shadows. Together with the sound that can be heard from the previous space, and the shadows that shifts with movement, the installation elevates the sensory experience into a haptic, physical adventure.

The path through all the exhibition spaces takes the viewer through various modes of interaction with mediated content, whereby their experience becomes increasingly tangible and concrete, while the content itself takes on an increasingly abstract form. Along the way, the viewer gains a "first-hand" sense of the fickle, fluid relationship between the content and the manner in which it is conveyed. At the same time, they gain an insight into the complexity of the underlying technologies and the impact they have on our perception and thinking – which, at a time when we are surrounded by mediated content from all sides and perceive it as simple and self-evident, is certainly worth further exploration.

---

Jurij Hartman (2002) is completing his BA in Painting at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana. His work has been presented in several solo exhibitions, including at Mala galerija Banke Slovenija (2024) and DobraVaga Gallery (2025) in Ljubljana, as well as in several group presentations at home and abroad, including the exhibition 25/7? It's only natural at Y Gallery (2024) and Sensations in the House of My Body at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Ljubljana (2024). He lives and works in Škofja Loka.
jurijhartman.com