PUNK. SUBCULTURE. SOCIALISM. ARCHIVES AND PHOTOGRAPHY FROM SLOVENIA
Exhibition opening: 03/06/2025 at 20:30h
Exhibition curated by philosopher and theorist Marina Gržinić, in collaboration with Slavčo Dimitrov
Positions in the exhibition: Janez Bogataj, Janusz Czech, Božidar Dolenc, Vojko Flegar, Dušan Gerlica, Aldo Ivančić, DK, Siniša Lopojda, Elena Pečarič, Matija Praznik, Bogo Pretnar, Bojan Radovič, Relations / 25 Years of the Lesbian Group ŠKUC-LL, Ljubljana, Mladen Romih, Tone Stojko, Tožibabe, Igor Vidmar
The Skopje Pride Weekend – Skopje 2025 Festival will be officially opened on June 3 at 8:30 PM at the Museum of Contemporary Art with the exhibition “PUNK. SUBCULTURE. SOCIALISM. ARCHIVES AND PHOTOGRAPHY FROM SLOVENIA” – a large archival exhibition that explores the Slovenian punk movement from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s through photography and documents. Curated by philosopher and theorist Marina Gržinić, in collaboration with Slavčo Dimitrov, the exhibition represents a rare opportunity for the domestic audience to confront the visual and political history of subcultural resistance in the former Yugoslavia.
This will be the fifth staging of the exhibition. After a glorious opening at the Grand Gallery of Cankarjev dom in Ljubljana, the exhibition traveled through various European cities: Pforzheim, Graz/Laafeld, Novi Sad, and now Skopje, with a return to Slovenia for an exhibition in Murska Sobota in 2025.
The exhibition focuses on the visual culture of Slovenian punk from 1977 to the mid-1980s – a period of explosive alternative energy, self-archiving and resistance. At the MoCA, the exhibition will be tailored to the themes of sexuality, subculture and body performance and it will highlight how photography shaped the aesthetics and politics of punk: a document of rebellion, criticism and self-expression. Through archival images of concerts, protests and street gatherings, life is depicted on a scene that simultaneously challenged norms and built collective memory.
Punk in Slovenia was also a form of left-wing, pro-socialist resistance – linked to labor protests and LGBT activism. Punk has always been closely associated with labor protests, playing the role of a cultural ally in the struggle for justice and social change. From Yugoslavia to the present day, punk bands have supported protests with music and a clear political message. Even today, punk elements are recognized in modern labor uprisings as a symbol of resistance, revolt and active participation against exploitation and political apathy.
Dr. Marina Gržinić, the curator of the exhibition, is a senior research associate at the Institute of Philosophy at ZRC SAZU and a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna.
The Skopje Pride Weekend Festival will be held from June 3 to 14 in several cultural institutions in Skopje: MoCa Skopje, YCC, CSC Centar-Jadro and Theatre Comedy.
The exhibition PUNK. SUBCULTURE. SOCIALISM. ARCHIVES AND PHOTOGRAPHY FROM SLOVENIA. is organized in cooperation with the Research Center of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts and with the support of Cankarjev Dom, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia, the National Museum of Contemporary History of Slovenia, Modern Gallery, Luminus and A.K.T; from Pforzheim. In Skopje, the exhibition is organized by the MARGINI Coalition within the framework of the Pride Weekend Skopje 2025, in partnership with the MoCA Skopje and the LGBTI Support Center. Additional support comes from the IC at SANU, Slovenia, Dr. Otto Lutar and the artistic director Janusz Czech.
