Jannis Kounellis, who also presented his works at the City Art Gallery of Ljubljana, passed away
The Greek-Italian artist Jannis Kounellis passed away, aged 80. He was one of the leading figures of the neo-avant-garde movement Arte Povera, which derived from the critique of the dominant position held by established institutions of art, politics and society. Last presentation of his work in Slovenia was in 2013, with a solo exhibition at the City Art Gallery of Ljubljana, which was also the first comprehensive project of the Greek-Italian artist in our parts.
“In his work he replaced two-dimensional surfaces, constrained by their frames, with installations. He first included bedframes, doors, windows, fabrics and other everyday objects, while later he also added primal elements such as earth, fire, gold, plants – and also live animals. Gradually, his installations started to incorporate other materials like smoke, coal, meat, ground coffee, lead and wooden objet trouves.” More in the RTV Slovenia article (in Slovenian).