Kres is the Slovenian word for bonfire, and is probably derived from the same etymological root as the name Kresnik, a Slavic god associated with fire, the summer solstice, and storms. The title of the pavilion stands as a symbol of the Slovenian underground digital art movement, which is mostly hidden along the edges of the art and design scene in this country.

The bonfire, as conceived in many cultural settings, is assembled and lit during the times of year of particular cosmic significance, for example the summer solstice and spring equinox. These are the occasions when the revelers dancing around the fire can catch a glimpse of what lies beyond the border between the mundane and the otherworldly. The otherworldly, however, doesn’t manifest itself to them in some spectacular or majestic form, but as a shadowy grotesque, in which what used to be concealed comes into light.  Kres will strive to empower the hidden visions of Slovenian underground digital art and its creators not unlike a bonfire brings out the vision of the otherworldly. It will seek to enable an alignment in which the Slovenian digital underground art scene and the cannon of established practices confront each other and trade places.

What connects the young sparks of our digital art is a particular relationship to their artistic practice – a way in which they approach the metatextual theme of digital art culture and the internet. They mold their worldview through a dark prism of current societal norms and predispositions combining them with direct connection to the web.

Curators: Dorijan Šiško & Sara Bezovšek