This week includes the end of February, and thus we’re already 1/6 into the year with all our plans still up in the air and no idea how to get on top of things before spring. It could be overwhelming if we didn’t live in such a pleasant city, with so much to distract us.
So whether you’re not sorting out your winter clothes or not cleaning out the fridge, not getting enough exercise or not improving your Slovenian – in short, if there’s something you should be doing that you’d rather put off for another day then Ljubljana has much to keep you busy this week, as shown in the small selection of delights laid out below.
As ever, clicking on the venue name will get you more details with regard to the time, price, location and other events.
CINEMA
Cankerjev dom – The 12th International Mountain Film Festival is running here from February 26 to March 2, with the promotional material promising “world-class mountaineering films from Slovenia and abroad, lectures by eminent alpinists, presentations of new books on mountaineering, and round table discussions.” You can see the full schedule here.
Kinodvor – Movies playing this week are Guillermo Del Toro’s The Shape of Water, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and The Last Ice Hunters.
Komuna – The Shape of Water is also playing here, along with The Phantom Thread and Lady Bird.
Ziferblat – Wednesday 18:00–21:00 is Chinese Movie Night - Shanghai Summer School, featuring a Chinese movie that the organisers are keeping a secret.
CLUBS
Channel Zero – DUB LAB Friday, March 2, has DJ Verso’s 30th B-Day Bashment, joined by a team of DJs and the dancers of the Dubble Sickz Squad, as shown below.
Gala Hala – Saturday March 3 is Rave Voyeur with DJ Tolstoyed, flying under the motto “We’re fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance.”
Klub Cirkus – Tuesday, the 27th, sees an all-Slovenia Erasmus Party to meet other local and exchange students. Friday then has XO - Let’s Play House with Sonny Fodera (Defected, DirtyBird), with a set from Mr Fodera above. The week comes to a climax on Saturday with RnB Explosion: Fresh Rhymes & Classics Cuts, which, as per the Facebook page, is “Ljubljana's most explosive RnB & Hip Hop club residency. DJ Dey is ready to kick it once again with his trusty sidekick DJ Martee.” Some of DJ Dey’s work is presented below.
Klub K4 - On Friday the regular Gibanica night will be filling the air with breaks, techno, house, IDM and electro. One of the DJs will be Jaša Bužinel, playing stuff like the following:
The next night K4 hosts JUST a DANCE, with synthwave, Italo disco, nu-disco, and retro electro. On the DJs will be Elovetric, and what follows is a perhaps a more chilled set of theirs from Pritljiče.
EXHIBITIONS
Cankerjev dom – Running from February 13 to May 20 is Ivan Meštrović: Physicality and eroticism in sculpture, with an example shown below from the venue's Facebook. The same venue also has THE... SIGN! Design between vision and reality, the biennial exhibition of the Designers Society of Slovenia. Finally, there’s a show called Nocturnes, presenting the work of London-based photographer Mike Crawford, which explores the hidden corners of cities.
Ivan Meštrović: Physicality and eroticism in sculpture
City Museum – An extensive exhibition on Medieval Ljubljana is showing until May 2, 2018.
Galerija Jakopič – An exhibition of works by Tihomir Pinter, the Croatian photographer known for his shots of everyday life in Yugoslavia, runs until March 3.
Galerijia Kapelica – This week is the last chance to visit Ana Čigon’s installation project Mesta prevare / Phony Towns.
Galerija Vžigalica – From February 27 to April 1 there will be Sea by the City, an exhibition showcasing works from the Trieste art scene.
MAO – March 2 sees Italian Design Day: Broken Nature, from 18:00–20:00 and in Italian and Slovenian. The same venue, the Museum of Architecture and Design, has a show called Stanko Kristl: Poetry and Humanity in Architecture until May 27.
Moderna galerija – The Marij Pregelj retrospective is on at the Moderna’s main branch, near Tivoli. Well worth the entrance fee, this occupies several large rooms, with the works from the last decade of the painter’s life being especially impressive. Highly recommended and showing until May.
National Gallery – Sunday March 4 is Austria Day at the National Gallery, while NeoRealismo: the New Image in Italy, 1932–1960 runs until the end of March at the National Gallery, as shown below, and you can read more about it here.
Mario De Biasi The Italians turn round, 1954 Milan © Archivio Mario De Biasi
National Museum of Slovenia – The Past Under the Microscope. Scientific Analyses in Museums is on until the end of April.
Photon Centre of Contemporary Photography – Running until March 9 is Branko Lenart: Big Sur Real.
Branko Lenart, Pelluhue, Sur-real, 2013
Slovene Ethnographic Museum – Afghanistan - Slovene Views continues until March 30, 2018.
LGBTQ
Klub Tiffany – March 1, from 19:00–23:00, the klub hosts its regular card and board game night. Then March 2 there’s Mavrična retorika, or Rainbow Rhetoric, a chance to hone your speaking skills, from 17:30–20:30.
LIVE MUSIC
Cankerjev dom – Tuesday 27 sees The Snowdrops and Primroses Festival, The 4th One-Day Festival of Slovenian Jazz Music (details), featuring, among others, the following artist.
March 1 and 2 then have the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra playing Leonard Bernstein, with the pianist Andrew von Oeyen, including Symphony No. 2, The Age of Anxiety.
Daktari – Wednesday has a concert by Mencarija.
Gala Hala – A night of live and mixed funk and afrobeat from Nesesari Kakalulu will brighten your life on March 2 in an event called Zeleno sonce 114, with able support from DJ Kool S and DJ Udo Brenner, playing things like the following.
Grand Union Hotel – Wednesday evening is local folk music with the vocal group Leščeček.
Klub Gromka – March 1, a Thursday, has the thrilling double bill of Krobak and H.Soror (post-rock, instrumental, and psychedelic).
Kino Šiška – Wednesday there’s what seems to be a sold-out show by Milky Chance and Conner Youngblood.
Koncertna Dvorana Rog – Saturday you can let your freak flag fly with Prehistoric Pigs, Blackoutt, and Mad Penguins, as shown below.
Ljubljana Castle – Friday night is jazz at the castle, and this week sees a show by Maja Keuc (Amaya) – “Tribute to Soul” (Slo) - pop/soul.
Orto Bar – March 3 is Rock 'n' Roll Saturday Night: Goodbye and Good Riddance, which appears to be a rockabilly affair.
OPERA, THEATRE, DANCE
Spanski borci – Tuesday night has In Girum Imus Nocte (Et Consumimur Igni), a dance event with choreography by Roberto Castello.
MISC.
Cankerjev dom – The British literary theorist Terry Eagleton will deliver a lecture about the role of hope in arts, history, society and politics. Tickets are free, and the event starts at 20:00
March 1 is the application deadline for the Moderna galerijia’s summer school, Constructing Utopia / Eastern European Avant-Gardes and Their Legacy (August 24–31), with more details here.
