Manca Juvan's body of work focuses mainly on the socially engaged themes of identity, (non)freedom of life, migration, the situation of women and youth in the Middle East, the historical traumas of World War II and the pressing political and military conflicts in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. She always approaches complex issues with uncompromising dedication and personal commitment.

The exhibition The Valley result of her in-depth research into the impact of industrialisation and environmental pollution in the middle Soča Valley. It focuses on the environmental issues of the longstanding production and use of asbestos in the former Anhovo cement factory and its impacts on the local community. The artist uses the personal stories of valley residents, including former factory workers, activists, physicians and experts, to challenge simplistic statistical narratives that dehumanise. These individual experiences reveal social polarisation and underline the importance of building common ties, values and efforts to find sustainable solutions for the overall health and future of the valley’s peoples.

The Clinical Institute of Occupational, Traffic and Sports Medicine reports that by the end of 2024, 3,469 individuals in the country had contracted a disease linked to prolonged exposure to asbestos, 90 % of whom were from Anhovo and its surroundings. The installation, based on photographic and video material, powerfully highlights different perspectives of life in the middle Soča Valley, which has been shaped and marked by the coexistence of “the factory” throughout time. From 1921 to the present day, these have included Cementi Isonzo, then in the 1940s Kombinat 15. september Anhovo, later Salonit Anhovo, and today Alpacem Cement.

The exhibition of Manca Juvan at the Match Gallery is clear in its intention: to raise intergenerational awareness of asbestos issues and invite us to reflect on a universal question alongside a local story. Put simply, it asks: until when will we put our material needs before our health? We need to reflect on the hierarchy of priorities. These priorities are divided between material existence, which can put us at risk, and health and a healthy living environment. We would like to open up a space for reflection on what constitutes a greater burden in the long term.

The exhibition makes it clear that we must rethink our values and choices to improve the quality of life today and for future generations. At the same time, the installation also heralds a documentary film that Manca Juvan is developing in co-production with RTV Slovenia, which will further help to sensitise the general public to the subject.