BIEN 2021
Textile Art Biennial at Kranj, SI
26.5. - 14.8.2021
Deadline for open call: 06.03.2021

The Carnica Institute is a cultural non-governmental organisation based in Kranj, Slovenia. Since it was established in 2010, the main activities of the Carnica Institute have been managing cultural public infrastructure, managing and organizing cultural and social events, activities and campaigns, implementing the connections and collaborations between communities, cultural operators and local government, and developing and implementing cultural strategies. The activities of Carnica Institute are supported by European, national and local cultural funds.

The Carnica Institute initiates urban changes in the city of Kranj and its Old Town, as well as cooperates in several cultural, civil and urban renewal projects. Carnica is a producer of many art and music projects and festivals. Since 2020 the Institute is also organizing a textile Art Biennial, called BIEN.

BIEN is initiated by Carnica Institute, Kranj and jointly organized by Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering University of Ljubljana and Faculty of Design, Associated Member of University of Primorska.

Sustainability, heritage and preservation are thought of by BIEN artists and curators through textiles. They come together in projects that raise awareness of the circular economy, cultural heritage and environmental issues.

BIEN

• promotes interdisciplinary artistic collaborations within projects and residencies,
• presents works by international and domestic artists, with special emphasis on the best works of contemporary domestic and international student production, and
• understands that the future of art is also in the public and digital space.

Catalogue of BIEN 2020:
https://issuu.com/layerjeva_hisa/docs/bien_katalog2020_issuu

 

In 2021 BIEN is planned from 26.5. to 14.8.2021. Several exhibitions will take place. One exhibition is already on display:

Tina Struthers: Breathless
05.03. – 01.04.2021 at Mergentaler street gallery in Kranj and online: https://layer.si/bien/kr/brez-sape/

 

They are also publishing an open call for artists and students:

Topic: Suffocation

You, us and the rest of the world are facing a new social reality in which there is a lack of space for social contacts, for free movement, for touch and closeness. We live in a time when there are so many limitations that it may no longer make sense to talk about what is all forbidden, but about what is actually even allowed at all.

How have you been breathing lately? What suffocates you?

We are not only suffocating individuals, ideas are also suffocating, movements are suffocating, the economy is suffocating, education is suffocating, cities are suffocating, the whole world is suffocating… What is left after suffocation? Can this empty space potentially mean an opportunity for something new? Is suffocation a natural process that requires new adaptation and finding new solutions?

The Bien 2021 textile biennial will host Kranj, the capital of Gorenjska, which before Slovenia’s independence from Yugoslavia was considered the leading textile region in Slovenia and in this part of Europe. After the suffocation of the industry, the change left a big void behind. Bien 2021 lays its foundations in this empty space, questioning tradition and new creative approaches.

We invite you to address the topic of the call in relation to your local environment and textile art. The call is open to individuals and groups working in the field of textile, visual, conceptual and / or performative arts. Selected projects will be exhibited in public in the form of 3 large posters and online.

How to apply?

The proposed project must be ready for publication online, so we accept your works in digital form (photographs, illustrations, animations, audio and video recordings, texts…). Each project must also contain 3 visual solutions for posters, which will be exhibited in a street gallery (dimensions 199×136 cm, Length x Height). Individuals or groups must also attach their short CVs and a conceptual explanation of the project.

Each project will be exhibited in the public space in the period of one month from March to December 2021. The projects will also be presented in the form of a digital exhibition on the official website of the Biennale. A special catalog of all street exhibitions will be issued at the end of the year. In the case of selection, applicants agree that the organizer uses visual materials to promote your exhibition, cycle of street exhibitions and biennial.

Applications are accepted including 6 of March 2021.

Apply here: https://forms.gle/fwSityXxXcWq53Qs6

 

More information: https://layer.si/bien/en/