Beyond the wonders of the physical space, the stone staircase, or Skalinada, is a portal that cuts across time and space linking diverse paths, stories and spaces travelled. A portal of inspiration that stands on a solid rock upon the silent sea – where imagination can access new heights and discover new depths. This piece of land is special, reflecting the classic simplicity of the seaside town, while adding to it a contemporary vibe which promises to stir the creative spirit.
A classical Mediterranean and minimalist space, designed to embrace established visual artists, far and near, to practice art – without distraction from the roving world. We hope to provide the artist a period of rest, recreation and reflection – inspired by varied aspects of life – from the waves to the stone, from past to present. Mostly, we are looking ahead with our combined paths. The vision for this new artistic initiative is simple – to nurture individual creativity and infuse it with our collective artistic production, with the gusto to explore and express. To give back to the quiet seaside community of Omišalj so it thrives on the ebb and flow of our shared lives.
SKALINADA, founded in july 2017, is an artist-in-residence programme that offers a free space to the artist, to live and work. In a sweet exchange for their stay, we request for the artists to leave behind a trace of their time at the house. Typically this may come in the form of a site-specific piece that will find a permanent home inside the house. The future for Skalinada – to house a unique art collection that reflects the various artists-in-residence who have spent time with us, a house curated with contemporary visual art illustrating potent minds, embalmed with the glitter of imagination. After an artist completes the residency programme, we will open the house as an gallery so the artist can exhibit and share his or her works for that specified period of time. an artist—in—residence project IS PART OF THE EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE PROGRAMME RIJEKA2020.
Highly regarded for her active contribution to the local contemporary and urban arts scene for the past 15 years, Piera has collaborated with many artists and collectives working in the area of visual arts and culture. Piera is proud to be part of Kino Siska’s pioneer team, and has worked at the Centre for urban culture as an Artistic Programme Manager for almost 10 years. With the support of a dynamic team at Kino Siska, Piera revitalised the local arts through exciting projects and ideas. She also initiated many new concepts – like DobraVaga Gallery, which quickly became one of Ljubljana’s most esteemed spaces for local art and conversation. She is now working for her own private initiative RAVNIKAR GALLERY SPACE, and is also active with projects such as MENT Ljubljana, limited edit111ons and independent platform new york city. Piera holds an MA in Modern History from the University of London and EU diploma in Cultural Management Marcel Hicter, Brussels.
NEVENA ALEKSOVSKI (1984) graduated in painting from the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad in 2008 and received her MA in Cultural Studies at the Faculty of Social Sciences in Ljubljana in 2014. She is active in the fields of drawings, painting, illustration and art zines. Her work has been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions, both locally and internationally. She is also a pedagogue at the ŠKUC and Alkatraz galleries in Ljubljana, as well as an associate of the Red Dawns feminist and queer festival, and the co-organizer of the Reciklart – festival of artistic recycling and DIY culture. She currently lives and works in Ljubljana.
Maja Babic Kosir (1978) graduated from the Academy of Fine arts and design in Ljubljana AND finished her masters degree in sculpture under the mentorship of prof. Duba Sambolec. In 2007, she held a postgraduate degree in Creative Illustration and Visual Communication Techniques at the School of Design and Art of Barcelona (EINA). She has participated in many solo and group exhibitions around Europe, more actively in Portugal and Spain, where she lived and worked for almost 10 years. She currently lives and works between Ljubljana and Porto and develops artistic work within the fields of illustration, drawing, photography, video and installation.
Skalinada house was designed by architects Aleš Žnidaršič and Katja Žlajpah from the Multiplan Studio based in Ljubljana, Slovenia. While performing the architectural fulfillment of an empty space they always take into consideration the values of the past, homage to environment as well as modern architectural views. Clear idea, simple and comprehensible forms, indubitable structures are their leading principles. The focus of their practice is to work interdisciplinary involving different profiles of collaborators, trying to stay in constant relation between present reality and its local identity. The bureau’s work is present in their homeland Slovenia as well as abroad. They draw attention especially through many national and international prizes they have achieved with their projects answering to different calls of tenders.
