solo exhibition
Boštjan Kavčič: Impulse
curator
Mojca Grmek
Boštjan Kavčič: Impulse
8. – 29. 11. 2024
opening
8. 11. at 7pm
curatorMojca Grmek
Boštjan Kavčič has been working on a coherent sculptural opus entitled ORGanisms since 2002, which currently comprises 119 works. The opus reflects his specific view of the world that sees the universe as a whole where everything is in dynamic balance and where all entities (can) coexist in a way that maintains this balance.
The basic material from which the ORGanisms are made is stone, which is sometimes accompanied by wood or metal. The artist has chosen stone because it contains all the history of life on earth, and it is this life that he tries to free through the creative process. The process of forming each ORGanism is essentially understood by the artist as "the uncovering of centuries" and he works the stone until "the organism takes its own breath". The key point here is freeing up the energy, the life force trapped within it. This is also demonstrated by looking at the ORGanisms as a whole, which shows that they basically derive from only three shapes, circle, triangle, and less frequently, square, that expand into volume by following the principle of the curve, preferably into spirals and sometimes also into sinusoids, parabolas, flower wreaths or clovers. Volume is always formed by accentuating the axis, either by rotating the curve around its own axis, by an opening at the centre of the volume, or by the axis indicating an outside element. By employing curves and a pronounced axis, the artist dynamises the volume of the sculpture, while the sense of motion is further heightened by his distinctive treatment of the surface. Using a circular saw and chisel, he draws incisions that run from the common starting point, usually along the axis of the sculpture, outwards and downwards towards the edges. The sculpture is complete once the artist senses the flow of energy has passed through it.
However, the process of creating an ORGanism is not truly complete until the sculpture is installed in its intended space. As the artist explains, the goal is to position the sculpture as if it has always belonged there, allowing it to function as an "ORGan within a body". In doing so, he takes into account both the elements of the (gallery) space and the characteristics of the local environment, integrating them with the sculpture into a cohesive whole following the principles of natural coexistence. It is only once it has been placed into the space that the sculpture truly comes to life as an ORGanism, which connects and maintains the natural balance. This is experienced by the visitor as a sense of peace, consonance and harmony, imbued in the space it inhabits.
After more than two decades of work, the artist has established a rounded-off system of ORGanisms across Slovenia and beyond. In this exhibition, he presents the entire system from three interconnected and complementary perspectives, each presented in its separate gallery space – as an installation comprising an abstract scheme in the form of a drawing accompanied by a sculpture symbolising this scheme. In the first space, the artist presents the conceptual framework of the system (Thoughts), in the second, the process of setting up the system through connections (Words), and in the third, the functioning of the system in the environment in which it is located (Deeds). The sculptures, symbolising Deeds were created specifically for this space, situated geographically between two rivers, the Pivka on one side and the Reka on the other, and where they will remain as part of the artist's system at the end of the exhibition.
Boštjan Kavčič (1973) completed his studies in Banking and Finance at the Faculty of Economics in Maribor in 1997. The following year, he enrolled in the Sculpture programme at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana, where he graduated in 2003. Four years later, he completed his postgraduate studies in Video and New Media. He has exhibited his works in many prominent galleries in Slovenia and abroad, and has received a number of prizes and awards for his work. He is the author of several public sculptures in various cities in Slovenia and abroad. He lives and works in Rodine in Bela Krajina.
bostjankavcic.com
The basic material from which the ORGanisms are made is stone, which is sometimes accompanied by wood or metal. The artist has chosen stone because it contains all the history of life on earth, and it is this life that he tries to free through the creative process. The process of forming each ORGanism is essentially understood by the artist as "the uncovering of centuries" and he works the stone until "the organism takes its own breath". The key point here is freeing up the energy, the life force trapped within it. This is also demonstrated by looking at the ORGanisms as a whole, which shows that they basically derive from only three shapes, circle, triangle, and less frequently, square, that expand into volume by following the principle of the curve, preferably into spirals and sometimes also into sinusoids, parabolas, flower wreaths or clovers. Volume is always formed by accentuating the axis, either by rotating the curve around its own axis, by an opening at the centre of the volume, or by the axis indicating an outside element. By employing curves and a pronounced axis, the artist dynamises the volume of the sculpture, while the sense of motion is further heightened by his distinctive treatment of the surface. Using a circular saw and chisel, he draws incisions that run from the common starting point, usually along the axis of the sculpture, outwards and downwards towards the edges. The sculpture is complete once the artist senses the flow of energy has passed through it.
However, the process of creating an ORGanism is not truly complete until the sculpture is installed in its intended space. As the artist explains, the goal is to position the sculpture as if it has always belonged there, allowing it to function as an "ORGan within a body". In doing so, he takes into account both the elements of the (gallery) space and the characteristics of the local environment, integrating them with the sculpture into a cohesive whole following the principles of natural coexistence. It is only once it has been placed into the space that the sculpture truly comes to life as an ORGanism, which connects and maintains the natural balance. This is experienced by the visitor as a sense of peace, consonance and harmony, imbued in the space it inhabits.
After more than two decades of work, the artist has established a rounded-off system of ORGanisms across Slovenia and beyond. In this exhibition, he presents the entire system from three interconnected and complementary perspectives, each presented in its separate gallery space – as an installation comprising an abstract scheme in the form of a drawing accompanied by a sculpture symbolising this scheme. In the first space, the artist presents the conceptual framework of the system (Thoughts), in the second, the process of setting up the system through connections (Words), and in the third, the functioning of the system in the environment in which it is located (Deeds). The sculptures, symbolising Deeds were created specifically for this space, situated geographically between two rivers, the Pivka on one side and the Reka on the other, and where they will remain as part of the artist's system at the end of the exhibition.
Boštjan Kavčič (1973) completed his studies in Banking and Finance at the Faculty of Economics in Maribor in 1997. The following year, he enrolled in the Sculpture programme at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana, where he graduated in 2003. Four years later, he completed his postgraduate studies in Video and New Media. He has exhibited his works in many prominent galleries in Slovenia and abroad, and has received a number of prizes and awards for his work. He is the author of several public sculptures in various cities in Slovenia and abroad. He lives and works in Rodine in Bela Krajina.
bostjankavcic.com
Exhibition programme
Jaka Vatovec
solo exhibition
6. – 27.12.2024
Education programme
Creativity programme
Poems in Prints / Miroslav Vilhar
printmaking workshop and exhibition
2. – 6.6.2025
Društvo Hiša kulture v Pivki
Snežniška cesta 2
6257 Pivka
Slovenia
Snežniška cesta 2
6257 Pivka
Slovenia
Opening hours during the course of the exhibitions:
Tuesday–Thursday 10.00—14.00
Friday 14.00–18.00
Saturday 9.00–13.00
Tuesday–Thursday 10.00—14.00
Friday 14.00–18.00
Saturday 9.00–13.00
The Hiša kulture gallery in Pivka programme is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia, the Municipality of Pivka and everyone who makes a donation of any amount.