The exhibition, which is this year’s major gallery project of the City Museum of Ljubljana, offers a valuable insight into the history of Ljubljana. It is intended to encourage contemplation about the city's present by putting on display the faces of people who have left an indelible impression on political, economic and cultural spheres, regardless of whether they lived in the city or merely visited it, and with varying degrees of influence on its development and reputation. Whilst some sculptures will be shown for the first time, others have been kept in museum storerooms for several years and this exhibition is a therefore unique opportunity to gain an insight into the sculptural, political and artistic past of both Ljubljana and Slovenia.

According to Ana Pokrajac Iskra, creator of the exhibition and curator/art historian: “The portraits displayed can, in their broadest sense, be broken down into those intended for public spaces, i.e. revealing the sitter’s position and power, and those decorating more intimate spaces, whose respective countenances are thus more emotionally charged. It is exactly this demarcation that determines how the exhibition is spatially arranged. The first group features portraits of persons who left an indelible impression on the political, economic and cultural spheres in Slovenia. They are accompanied by other faces which, through the language of allegory, represent actual names, i.e. the names of the people commissioning them and, as a result, life in Ljubljana.” The designer Roman Uranjek who, together with his colleagues Miran Mohar and Darko Pokorn from the Novi kolektivizem group, created the exhibition design, said: “The portraits are embedded in an environment of grey monochrome, involving the walls, the floor and the display pedestals. The materials of the sculptures are thus made distinct by neutral grey. As a result, many colour nuances can be seen in the plaster, bronze, stone and marble which would otherwise not be visible.”

One important aspect of arranging the exhibition was to prepare the sculptures themselves. To this end, it took more than one year for the restorers of the Ščit Conservation Centre of the Museum and Galleries of Ljubljana to get the sculptures ready. According to Katarina Toman Kracina: “The sculptures being exhibited belong to a broader selection of sculptures brought from the storerooms to the Ščit conservation workshop. This wider selection comprised 120 sculptures, up to 59 of which are now on display, with all of them being conserved and restored. The sculptures are made of different materials, with the degree to which they are preserved varying considerably. The most appropriate conservation-restoration solution has been chosen for each individual sculpture, allowing it to be shown in its best light. At the same time, compliance with the conservation code of ethics was provided. Accordingly, full reversibility of the materials used in the restoration work and minimum intervention in treatment of the originals were taken into account."

About the   sculpture collection of the City Museum of Ljubljana
  The City Museum’s   sculpture collection started to emerge along with ideas about setting up a   city collection of art works more than 100 years ago, i.e. at the time of   Mayor Ivan Hribar. However, compared to paintings, sculptures were acquired   much less often. Petrified faces and portraits belonging to this sculpture   collection span a period from antiquity to the recent past. Behind some of   them there are certain names which created a great history, others are   nameless, having only created small personal histories.       Most of the sculptures from the   Museum’s collection are held in the storerooms and will return there after   the exhibition. Their public display for almost a year therefore represents   an exceptional opportunity. These sculptures comprise fine works of renowned   Slovenian, Italian and Viennese as well as unknown sculptors. Also some   statues which make up permanent exhibitions in other important institutions   have returned home for almost a year. Several of the sculptures from the   collection have so far never been exhibited or presented to the public in any   other way.        

An interesting visitor experience and a varied accompanying programme
  In staging the Many Heads are Better than One exhibition, arrangements have also been made to provide visitors with a more genuine experience. By being able to touch a copy of one sculpture, visitors will feel the materials the sculptors used in creating their art works and watch both the techniques used to produce a sculpture and follow the individual phases of its creation. Some visitors were invited to co-operate even before the exhibition opened. They shared their impressions with us about the sculptures to be put on display; some of their thoughts have also been included in the exhibition.

EVENTS ACCOMPANYING THE EXHIBITION

Guided tours in English
  Interested to know how the persons portrayed themselves would narrate their own stories? Indulge your fantasy and come join the spirits of the past in a tour of the exhibition.  Visitors will be guided through the exhibition in English. You can join them on Sundays: 29 April, 6 May, 24 June, 23 December, 30 December and on every Sunday in July and August at 4:00 p.m.
Price: included in the entry fee.

Programmes for groups with advance notice
  All guided tours can also be provided to closed groups.
Guided tour up to 10 people: €55, reduced price €35.
Guided tour more than 10 people: €6/person, reduced price €4/person

Doors Open Days
Don’t miss our Doors Open Days, when the exhibition can be visited free of charge: 8 February, 18 May, 16 June and 3 December. Free entry will also be possible during the European Cultural Heritage Days campaign which will be underway in the last week of September. Families can visit the exhibition free of charge during the Through Play to Heritage campaign to be held in the first week of October.