City of Women: from occasional to continuous arts and cultural education

Thanks to the amazing performer and curator Teja Reba, I am part of City of Women Festival 2018. The 24th edition of the International Festival of Contemporary Art, based in Ljubljana, is happening between October 4th and 8th 2018 (core program) or actually, for the whole month.

I will be in the role of a mentor/educator (in training). Since 2016, Ana Čigon, Urška Jež, Teja Reba and I have been shaping 45-minute-long school lessons about different aspects of feminism. So far, due to the unpaid nature of this work, we were able to produce only one module/lesson per year. It is shaped as a set of instructions for the professor who want to discuss feminism in his_her class. We have been sending our offer to high schools in Slovenia in the days before March 8, The International Women’s Day, in the hope that it will help the professors to address both the historical and contemporary significance of this “holiday”. Here, you can find the of lessons we have prepared so far (in Slovene only).

At part of this year’s City of Women arts and cultural education program, Ana Čigon and I are guiding high school students to Marwa Arsanios' exhibition Who is Afraid of Ideology? It’s a wonderful title and an exciting, both politically and artistically challenging exhibition of her documentary/art video works. I am very much looking forward to see parts I and II of her video Who is afraid of ideology. Part I was shot in the mountains of Kurdistan in the early 2017; it focuses on the Autonomous Women's Movement in Rojava. Part II was made very recently and deals with different ecofeminist groups in Rojava, especially the way they attempt to take care of the land and themselves.

Video still / "Have You Ever Killed a Bear or Becoming Jamila"

You can read more about the content and methodology of our guides to the exhibition here. The guides are part of a larger focus on Marwa Arsanios' work at City of Women 2018. Check the full program here.


Last but certainly not the least, I must add the great news that as of October 2018, City of Women is part of a project called S(v)odobnost, focused on the professionalization of arts and cultural education in Slovenia. Together with SCCA-Ljubljana, ŠKUC, KUD Mreža and Nomad Dance Academy, we are going to be able to dedicate a lot more (paid!) time to the research, networking, organising and learning necessary to set up a continuous, rather than sporadic program of arts and culture education. Thanks to the financial support of the Ministry of Public Administration, each organisation is going to be able to employ one person for this purpose for the period of fifteen months. I am happy to say that I am one of those people.

Delavnica o seksizmu v oglaševanju na Gimnaziji JV Idrija

Delavnica za dijake Gimnazije JV Idrija v okviru 4. Kulturnega maratona
Seksizem v oglaševanju

Kaj je seksizem? Kako ga prepoznamo v oglasih?

Na ti dve vprašanji bomo odgovorile_i* s pomočjo oglasov iz revij in uličnih panojev, ki s podobami razgaljenih žensk (in redkeje moških) tržijo celo vrsto izdelkov in uslug, čeprav za njihovo oglaševanje, nakup in uporabo razgaljenost ni potrebna. Ogledali_e si bomo tudi grafite, s katerimi je skupina feminističnih aktivistk v Ljubljani prekrila ulične oglase, za katere je presodila, da so seksistični.

Odziv na sporni oglas Zavarovalnice Maribor.

V drugem delu delavnice si bomo ogledale_i nekaj revij za ženske (npr. Cosmopolitan, Jana) in revij za moške (npr. Moški svet, FHM). Oglase iz enih in drugih bomo primerjale_i, da bi ugotovili_e, kako se razlikujejo in v čem so si podobni. Zanimalo nas bo, kaj oglašujejo in kako upodabljajo ženske in moške. Za konec bomo oglase iz ženskih revij “prevedli_e” v moški spol (in obratno) in se pogovorili_e o tem, kaj se je s tem spremenilo.  

Delavnico vodita Ana Čigon in Tea Hvala.
Poteka v petek, 29. januarja 2016, od 17h do 19h, na Gimnaziji Jurija Vege Idrija.

S seboj prinesite oglase iz revij, ki upodabljajo razgaljene ženske ali moške.

*Podčrtaj med ženskim in moškim slovničnim spolom vizualno odpre prostor za ljudi, ki se ne opredeljujejo kot ženske ali moški.

Mag. Ana Čigon deluje na področju videa, performansa in novih medijev. V svojih novejših umetniških projektih se ukvarja s feminističnimi tematikami, predvsem z vprašanjem podreprezentiranosti umetnic in s pomenom problematiziranja vzorcev zgodovinjenja umetnosti. Na Srednji vzgojiteljski šoli in gimnaziji Ljubljana poučuje video, film in multimedije.

Mag. Tea Hvala je piska, prevajalka in avtorica radijskih oddaj. Piše o feminističnem aktivizmu in umetnosti, prevaja prozo in humanistiko, v Cerknem pa soorganizira festival Deuje babe. Na Radiu Študent s sodelavkami pripravlja Sektor Ž, mesečno oddajo o feminizmu. Občasno vodi delavnice skupinskega pisanja znanstvene fantastike Svetovi drugih.

Delavnica na Gimnaziji Jurija Vege Idrija bo potekala v okviru Kulturnega maratona. Avtorici se za gostovanje na dogodku zahvaljujeva prof. sociologije Nataši Graovac in vodstvu gimnazije.

Oddaja Sektor Ž: Čez ograjo

Vir: Georgette Sand

 
V zadnjem Sektorju Ž letos gledamo čez ograjo - v upanje, ponos in dostojanstvo feminističnih bojev na Kosovem, v Franciji in v Indiji.

Teja O. je pripravila intervju z Ano Čigon, vizualno umetnico, performerko, videastko in sodelavko feminističnega in queerovskega festivala Rdeče zore. V KC Tobačna 001 smo si v preteklem tednu lahko ogledale njena prva dokumentarna filma "Spominjanje drugih" (Remembering the Others) in "Herojke" (Heroinat). V njih je raziskala javne spomenike na Kosovem in prisotnost žensk v tamkajšnjem kolektivnem spominu. Zala T. je pripravila dva prispevka: intervju z Natalio Kozdra iz organizacije Georgette Sand, ki je v Franciji sprožila uspešno kampanjo za znižanje davka na tampone, vložke in menstrualne skodelice, in prispevek o boju proti nasilju nad ženskami v Indiji, kot ga bije in vidi dr. Shruti Kapoor, ustanoviteljica organizacije Sayfty.

Vabljene_i k poslušanju!
V soboto,  19. decembra 2015, ob 12h v živo na Radiu Študent, kasneje v arhivu.

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In the last Sector F this year, we look past the fence - at the hope, pride and dignity of feminist struggles in Kosovo, France and India.

Teja O. interviewed Ana Čigon, visual artist, performer, video artist and coorganiser of feminist and queer festival Red Dawns. In the past week, KC Tobačna 001 hosted her first two documentary films, "Remembering the Others" and "Heroinat", both of which explore public monuments in Kosovo and the visibility of women in Kosovo's collective memory. Zala T. prepared an interview with Natalia Kozdra of Georgette Sand, an organisation which started the succesfully campaign for lowering the tax on tampons, menstrual pads and menstrual cups in France. Zala T. also prepared an interview with dr. Shruti Kapoor, the founding member of Sayfty, an organisation fighting against violence against women in India.

Tune in!
Saturday, December 19th 2015, at 12h live at Radio Študent. Later, in the archive.

'Ulica spomina na ženske' na festivalu Cmakajne, 20.9.2014

English version below.

Festival Cmakajne 2014, CMAK, Cerkno

Ana Čigon, Tea Hvala
Ulica spomina na ženske
Video projekcija s sprehodom po Cerknem

Posnetek iz videa Ljubljana, mesto žensk (2013)

Ogledale/i si bomo kratka videa Ane Čigon o spominskih obeležjih, posvečenih ženskam. Umetnico je zanimalo, koliko spomenikov v Ljubljani ohranja spomin na ženske, katere od njih sploh poznamo in katere ženske, ki so s svojim delom pomembno sooblikovale našo preteklost, so izginile v pozabo. Po ogledu bomo razpravljale/i o tem, zakaj so izginile in zakaj je vprašanje vidnosti žensk v javnem prostoru feministična tema, ki zadeva tako ženske kot moške vseh generacij. Pogovor bo vodila Tea Hvala.

Sledil bo sprehod, na katerem bomo preštele/i imena cerkljanskih ulic, ki so poimenovane po ženskah. V primeru slabega vremena si bomo v CMAK-u ogledale/i celovečerni film.

Delovna verzija videa Odkritje mačke v žaklju (2014) je nastala v okviru istoimenskega projekta Ane Čigon. Video Ljubljana, mesto žensk (2013) je posnela v sodelovanju z umetnicami Lejo Jurišić, Tejo Reba in Barbaro Kapelj Osredkar v okviru projekta Hodim za tabo in gledam te, s katerim so se predstavile na lanskem festivalu Mesto žensk.

Dogodek je brezplačen in odprt za vse.

Sobota, 20. september 2014, ob 17.00, CMAK, Cerkno

Celoten program festivala Cmakajne si lahko ogledate tukaj. 
Na tej povezavi lahko poslušate radijsko oddajo Alterica (Radio Odmev), v kateri sva s Katarino Štucin 6. septembra predstavili letošnji festival. 


Priporočamo tudi obisk instalacije / performansa Hodim za tabo in gledam te, ki bo v nedeljo, 7. septembra, ob 11.00 in 16.00 pod vodstvom Barbare Kapelj Osredkar in Leje Jurišić krenil/a s Pogačarjevega trga v Ljubljani. Več na spletni strani Mesta žensk.

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Ana Čigon je na ljubljanski Akademiji za likovno umetnost in oblikovanje zaključila dodiplomski študij slikarstva in magistrski študij videa. Končala je tudi magistrski študij Interface Cultures na Kunstuniversitaet Linz v Avstriji. Deluje na področju videa, performansa in novih medijev. V svojih novejših umetniških projektih se ukvarja z vprašanjem podreprezentiranosti žensk v umetnosti in problematizira uveljavljene vzorce zgodovinjenja umetnosti. www.anacigon.si

Tea Hvala je sociologinja in publicistka z magisterijem iz antropologije spolov. Piše o feminističnemu aktivizmu, medijih in umetnosti. Na Radiu Študent s sodelavkami pripravlja Sektor Ž, edino feministično radijsko oddajo v Sloveniji. Med letoma 2002 in 2013 je soorganizirala festival Rdeče zore, kateremu je posvetila tudi knjigo Rdečke razsajajo! (2011). prepih.blogspot.com

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Women's Remembrance Street at Cmakajne festival

On September 20th at 17.00, you are invited to Cmakajne festival (at CMAK, Cerkno), to the public viewing of two short videos-in-progress by artist Ana Čigon. “Odkritje mačke v žaklju” (2014) and “Ljubljana, mesto žensk” (2013) address the (absence of) memorials, dedicated to women in Ljubljana. The first video was made as part of her same-titled project, the second was made in collaboration with artists Leja Jurušić, Teja Reba and Barbara Kapelj Osredkar as part of their joint project “I'm Walking Behind You and Watching You”, which premiered at last year’s City of Women festival.

Which women who shaped our history are still remembered? Who has been forgotten? Why is the visibility of women in public space a feminist issue that concerns women and men of all generations? These are some of the questions that are going to be discussed after the screening, led by sociologist, writer and former Red Dawns festival co-organizer Tea Hvala.

The event will conclude with a walk, where the participants will count the number of streets in Cerkno, which are named after women. In case of rain, the walk is going to be replaced by a feature film screening.

No entrance fee. Open to all. In Slovene.