BIEN is an art exhibition focusing on textile art and other related fields. It promotes interdisciplinary collaborations, organises residencies, and presents works by international and domestic artists, putting special emphasis on outstanding works by Slovenian and international students. BIEN is an initiative of Carnica Institute from Kranj. The first editions were organised in Kranj, but in 2023 the biennial already included four Slovenian cities (Kranj, Škofja Loka, Jesenice and Nova Gorica).
About
BIEN is an art exhibition focusing on textile art and other related fields. Apart from exhibitions on various locations, from galleries to streets, it also hosts workshops, round tables and artist talks, and regularly offers guided tours. The exhibitions feature textile art, interior design, video art and various interdisciplinary projects.
The biennial promotes interdisciplinary collaborations, organises residencies, and presents works by international and domestic artists, both professionals and students. The projects presented at BIEN reflect on heritage, conservation and sustainability, drawing from the biological, geological and archaeological features of space, environment, identities, industrial heritage and traditional knowledge, and creating new contemporary expressions.
In 2023, BIEN connected four Slovenian cities: Kranj, Škofja Loka, Jesenice and Nova Gorica. The art exhibition, with its accompanying programme, centred on the topic of the sun as portrayed through textile and environmental art. The 2023 edition included the works of more than 100 artists, collectives, student productions and participants at the BIEN symposium.
The textile installation The Right to the Sunlight (2023) by Slovenian artist Teja Šter. While creating the artwork in the basement of the Kranj City Hall, the author explored her feelings of light deprivation in her daily workspace during the winter season. The limited view of the sky from the inner courtyard feels constricting yet hopeful. This led her to further investigate reflections that occur in the narrow streets of the old town centre in Kranj. They manifest in direct mirrored forms of windows and distorted layered composite shapes, together creating intriguing patterns on the facades.
BIEN is organised by Carnica Institute, the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering of the University of Ljubljana, the Faculty of Design, an Associated Member of the University of Primorska, and other partners.
Carnica Institute
Carnica Institute is a cultural non-governmental organisation based in Kranj, Slovenia. Since it was established in 2010, the main activities of the Carnica Institute have been managing cultural public infrastructure, managing and organising cultural and social events, activities and campaigns, implementing the connections and collaborations between communities, cultural operators and local government, and developing and implementing cultural strategies. The activities of Carnica Institute are supported by European, national and local cultural funds.
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Aurora by Borjan Litovski at the 2023 Biennial of Textile Art BIEN.
Fountain Pen and Soft Series, Aquaforte Miniature by Varka Kozlovič at the 2023 Biennial of Textile Art BIEN.
Ice Garden installation by Elena Fajt, presented at the Biennial of Textile Art BIEN in 2023. Photo by Maša Pirc.
Details of the artwork Reflections (2023) by the students of the Faculty of Design in Ljubljana, which was exhibited in the castle garden at the Škofja Loka Museum as part of BIEN 2023.
Silent Influencer by Kaarina Kellomäki at the 2023 Biennial of Textile Art BIEN.
Visual artist Susana Cereja Helia at the Biennial of Textile Art BIEN in 2023. Photo by Maša Pirc.
The textile installation Tears of Icarus (2023) by Japanese artist Rieko Yashiro, which was exhibited in the Globus building in Kranj as part of BIEN 2023.
Artistic duo Twee Muizen posing with sculptor Paolo Puck at Kokra, Kranj.
Part of the UnderGROWTH art installation at the Tunnels Under the Old Kranj, created by the artistic group Nika Batista, Matevž Bajde, Mateja Golež, Lovro Ivančić, Marija Jenko, Maruša Kranjc, Franci Krevh, Alenka More, Ula Pogorevčnik, Darja Rant, Janko Rožič and Alenka Vidrgar as part of the 2023 Biennial of Textile Art BIEN.
The Universe of Suns by Lili Panjtar, Nina Vastl Štefe, Anja Musek, Ladka Peneš from the Contemporary textile center KREATIVNICE for the 2023 Biennial of Textile Art BIEN.
Wool and Faces by Twee Muizen, an artistic duo from Barcelona, at the Biennial of Textile Art BIEN in 2023. Photo by Maša Pirc.
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