The 36th Ljubljana Bienniale of Graphic Arts, The Oracle: On Fantasy and Freedom

The book contains several essays. Maja Petrović-Šteger, academic, researcher and anthropologist, discusses the political situation in Serbia and explores the limits of formal politics in bringing about social change. Manca G. Renko, historian, cultural critic, editor and essayist, reflects on the disillusionment of a generation raised on the promise of an open, liberal and united Europe. Renata Salecl, philosopher and sociologist, analyses the contemporary resurgence of end-of-the-world fantasies and the cultural, psychological and political role of oracles in overcoming collective anxiety. British philosopher, theorist and writer Sadie Plant explores the relationship between demonstrations and democracy, linking historical protests to modern political dissent. In her essay, Svetlana Slapšak, a Slovenian anthropologist, historian and writer of Serbian roots, discusses the acquired rights of artists and the current state of democracy. Their reflections are connected by the texts of Chus Martínez, artistic director and curator of the 36th Ljubljana Biennale of Graphic Arts, who interweaves her own thoughts on issues of freedom and the preservation of democracy with a walk-through of the exhibition in photographs and words, and with a curatorial diary that reveals the coming together of the Biennale’s main exhibition, The Oracle.

Publication in English, with translations of the texts in Slovenian.