Neue Slowenische Kunst
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Neue Slowenische Kunst (NSK), from the German for "New Slovenian Art" is a controversial political arts collective originating from Trbovlje, Slovenia in 1984. At that time Slovenia was part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
NSK's best-known member is the industrial music group Laibach. Other NSK group include Irwin (painting), Noordung (theater), New Collective Studio (graphics; also known as New Collectivism), Retrovision (film and video), and the Department of Pure and Applied Philosophy (philosophy). [State of Art, 2004], [Hackett, 2004], [1] (http://www.laibach.nsk.si/l7.htm), [2] (http://www.ljudmila.org/embassy/1a/what.htm), [3] (http://www.ljudmila.org/embassy/5a/retro.htm) The founding groups of NSK were Laibach, Irwin, and Scipion Nasice Sisters Theater, which later became Noordung. [4] (http://www.gla.ac.uk/~dc4w/laibach/laibach1.html), [5] (http://www.gla.ac.uk/~dc4w/laibach/noordung.html),
NSK art often draws on symbols drawn from totalitarian or extreme nationalist movements, often reappropriating totalitarian kitsch in a visual style reminiscent of Dada. NSK artists often juxtapose symbols from different (and often incompatible) political ideologies. For example, a 1987 NSK-designed poster that caused a scandal by winning a competition for the Yugoslavian Youth Day Celebration appropriated a painting by Nazi artist Richard Klein, replacing the flag of Nazi Germany with the Yugoslav flag and the German eagle with a dove. [Hackett, 2004]
Since 1991, NSK claims to constitute a state [6] (http://www.ljudmila.org/embassy/1a/state.htm), a claim similar to that of micronations. They issue passports [7] (http://www.ljudmila.org/embassy/2a/2a.htm), [8] (http://www.ljudmila.org/embassy/3b/irwin17/amst.htm), and have presented shows of their work in the guise of an embassy [9] (http://www.ljudmila.org/embassy/3b/irwin13/moskva.htm), [10] (http://www.ljudmila.org/embassy/3b/irwin14/gent.htm) or even as territory of their supposed state [11] (http://www.ljudmila.org/embassy/3a/state/state.htm); they maintain consulates in Florence, Italy [12] (http://www.ljudmila.org/embassy/3b/irwin16/flo.htm) and Umag, Croatia [13] (http://www.ljudmila.org/embassy/3b/irwin20/umag.htm); and have issued postage stamps. [14] (http://www.ljudmila.org/embassy/1b/nka.htm)
External Links
- Official website of NSK (http://www.nskstate.com)
- A thesis about the political aims of NSK (http://homepage.tinet.ie/~peterc/a/nsk.html)
- Laibach official site (http://www.laibach.nsk.si/)
- NSK global state (http://www.ljudmila.org/nsk/1.html) and NSK electronic embassy (http://www.ljudmila.org/embassy/)
Reference
- Anonymous, "State of Art: the new Slovene Avant Garde" (2004). Northwest Film Forum and Scala House, program for exhibit November 18–November 24, 2004 at Northwest Film Forum, Seattle.
- Regina Hackett, "Slovenian art collective is adept at working politics and art (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/visualart/200214_visual19.html)". Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Friday, November 19, 2004.de:Neue Slowenische Kunst