Črtomir Frelih: Prints and Drawings. Four Decades.

25. 10. 2022–12. 2. 2023
MGLC Grad Tivoli

The approximately one hundred works selected for the exhibition span Črtomir Frelih's creative arc over a period of forty years. The selection mainly comprises his very rich printmaking oeuvre, which is dominated by the technique of collagraphy. The artist already attracted attention during his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana and received the student Prešeren Award. Even then, he decided to study in depth the technical possibilities that would enable him to work directly on the matrix and print in the form of intaglio, which would contain the main features of a certain calligraphic freshness. The love of experimentation, driven by his creative curiosity, remains a constancy in his work to this day.

Frelih's oeuvre is initially marked by an emphatic use of signs and abstract forms, and even in the works on which the ink has barely dried, the artist retains his characteristic expressive pictorial language. Almost all the classic iconographic themes can be discerned from his extensive art production, from nudes to still lifes and landscapes, inspired by the mysterious Bohinj, where he grew up and where he still seeks his creative refuge in his free time. A special chapter – also highlighted in the exhibition – is dedicated to figurative art, expressive depictions of the naked figure and mystical scenes of transition, in which the artist touches on the most mysterious existential questions. This section also includes the shocking Human Landscapes, which are in some ways a distant echo of Mušić's horrific memories of the piles of bodies from the Dachau concentration camp and at the same time a direct reaction to the revelation of the tragic post-war massacres in Huda jama.

In addition to the black and white prints, the exhibition includes drawings in the technique of acrylic, pastel and wax on paper, as well as a monumental canvas with the motif of a floral still life as a pars pro toto, next to which a tiny didactic detail – a matrix and its print – is placed.  
The exhibition concludes with his foxy stories with witty commentaries, which have literally represented the artist's trademark for several years – they were published in an artist's book two years ago – and are also available to the public online. Fox Garden is also complemented by the FoxBox installation. Frelih's popular motif with the two fox figures can also be found on ceramics, cups, plates and trays. 

Breda Ilich Klančnik

Painter, printmaker and art educator Črtomir Frelih (Nomenj, 1960) graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana in the Department of Printmaking in the class of Prof. Zvest Apollonio in 1985. He continued his studies with a postgraduate specialisation in Printmaking and completed it successfully in 1990 under the supervision of Prof. Zvest Apollonio and Prof. Branko Suhy. In 1997, he obtained an MSc in Art Didactics at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana. Since 2014, he has been Full Professor of Printmaking in the Department of Fine Art Education of the Faculty of Education at the University of Ljubljana. He has inspired many generations of students to take up printmaking. He is also the author of art textbooks for primary and secondary schools as well as for higher education and regularly publishes articles in the field of fine art, art theory and art education.

He has had more than 80 solo exhibitions and has participated in more than 240 group shows at home and abroad. At home, he has received several national and international awards, 
He lives and creates in Radomlje and Nomenj.

Catalogue of the exhibition Črtomir Frelih: Prints and Drawings. Four Decades. contains essays on the work of Črtomir Frelih and a reprint of an interview prepared by Mojca Zlokarnik. The essays were written by exhibition curator Breda Ilich Klančnik and connoisseurs of the artist's work Judita Krivec Dragan, Jožef Muhovič and Philipp Maurer. The essays are complemented by colour reproductions, selected biography and bibliography, as well as a list of works shown in the exhibition.

Accompanying programme

Črtomir Frelih: Prints and Drawings. Four Decades.
Video presentations
Available on the MGLC website and social media, as well as YouTube channel.
Also adapted for the deaf and hard of hearing.

Public guided tours 
Conducted by the artist Črtomir Frelih and the exhibition curator Breda Ilich Klančnik
Opening guided tour: Tuesday, 25. 10. 2022 at 13.00
Slovenian cultural holiday: Wednesday, 8. 2. 2023 at 15.00 (an interpreter for Slovenian sign language will be present)
Admission free

Collagraphy workshop 
Saturday–Sunday, 21.–22. 1. 2022
Collagraphy is a newer technique in printmaking and belongs to the field of intaglio or relief printing. It is derived from the word "collage" and means drawing with glue. In the workshop led by printmaker and art educator Pika Gačnik, we will get to know an alternative and experimental version of this technique in relief printing. The workshop is aimed at art and printmaking enthusiasts. Participation is limited to eight people. There is a participation fee. Further information and registration to lili.sturm@mglc-lj.si.

Jokes in drawings
Workshop for children
Saturday, 4. 2. 2023, 11.00–14.00 
Drawing animation based on the contents of the exhibition for children 9+. In collaboration with the SLON Society. Free of charge. Participation is limited.

Tours and workshops for schoolchildren 
For pre-school and school groups, we organise experimental printmaking workshops, which we have developed in cooperation with the Department of Fine Art Education of the Faculty of Education at UL. Admission fee: 2.50 EUR/person. Registration to lili.sturm@mglc-lj.si.

Exhibition doors open days
This Happy Day of Culture, 3 December
Slovenian Cultural Holiday, 8 February

Curator of exhibition: Breda Ilich Klančnik