Biography

Jiři Kočica · academic sculptor · b. 1966, Slovenj Gradec

Jiři Kočica was born in 1966 in Slovenj Gradec, Slovenia. He completed his secondary school education in design and photography, specializing in graphic design, in Ljubljana in 1985. He continued his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana and graduated with a diploma in "Sculpture at a Specific Location" in 1991 under the supervision of professors Lujo Vodopivec and Tomaž Brejc. He completed his specialization in 1993 with the topic "Kata-logos" under the guidance of Professor Dušan Tršar.

Currently, he is employed as a university professor at the Department of Visual Arts and Design at the University of Primorska. Prior to that, he was a professor of design and arrangement at the Secondary School for Arrangement. He served as an external collaborator and assistant professor at the Faculty of Education, University of Maribor, at the Department of Fine Arts for several years.

Since 1993, he has actively published in scientific, professional, and popular journals, and has contributed to several major monographic publications. He was involved in the conceptual design of a four-year project called "Contemporary Sculpture Today" at the Celje Gallery of Contemporary Art. He also participated in a symposium on the connection between science and art in Zagreb. He has been the curator of exhibitions at the Gallery of the Slovenian Institute for Chemistry in Ljubljana for seven years. As an artist, he has had over 70 solo exhibitions in various prominent galleries in Slovenia and abroad. He co-organized and participated in the transformation of old prisons at Metelkova into the artistic Youth Hostel Celica. He has created several public sculptures, including an important monument on Pohorje on the occasion of the establishment of the Pahernik Fund, and a central large sculpture at the Pregl Research Centre in Ljubljana.

Jiři Kočica lives and works in Ljubljana with his wife Vilma Ducman and three children.

Exhibitions, events and workshops

2024, Vienna, Austria — Permanent installation of the sculpture Objem (Embrace) at TU Wien, with urban furniture, in collaboration with dr. Vilma Ducman and prof. dr. Ildiko Merta
2024, Novigrad, Croatia — Exhibition "Noseča Diotima" (Pregnant Diotima) at the Rigo gallery in Novigrad
2023, Ljubljana — "Being", exhibition and event at the gallery Hest
2022, Izola — "DNA heritage", exhibition and event at the gallery Insula
2022, Ljubljana — exhibition by painter Jure Zadnikar and sculptor Jiři Kočica: exhibition and event in the studio at Trubarjeva 23 c in Ljubljana
2018, Ljubljana — Izvirnik (Source or Origin): the release of the book (novel) "Izvirnik" and the nomination for the Kresnik Award
2016, Vienna — Artside the box: sculpture installation and event
2015, Ljubljana — open studio: month of the open studio
2014, Nova Gorica City Gallery — Heritage
2014, Ljubljana, Cankarjev dom — series "Chosen by art critic": selection by dr. Vesna Krmelj; Heritage at the city entrance: presentation of the First Participatory Public Sculpture in Slovenia
2013, Vienna, Gallery Schleifmuehlgasse 12/14 Contemporary — sculpture installation
2013, Ljubljana, gallery of the Faculty of Economy, Ljubljana University — sculpture installation
2013, Ljubljana, The Pregl Research Centre (Institute for Chemistry Slovenia) — sculptural installation, work in progress
2012, Maribor, Vetrinje castle (headquarters of the European Capital of Culture) — Point to the Eye: Drop Into the Horizon, presentation of the nano-portrait project
2012, New York City, USA, Gallery MC — Votive Sculptures
2012, New York City, USA, BOSI Contemporary Gallery — 95 Theses on Art, the act of "art faith", fixing 95 Theses on Art on the doors of different galleries
2012, New York City, USA, Lesley Heller Workspace Gallery — 95 Theses on Art, the act of "art faith"
2012, New York City, USA, Gallery MC — 95 Theses on Art, the act of "art faith"
2012, Washington D.C., USA, Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia — exhibition in the gallery space of the Embassy, sculpture installation
2011, Ljubljana, Garden of the United Association of Slovenian Artists Gallery — The Socialised Sculpture, sculpture installation
2011, Ljubljana, Equrna Gallery — O...pen / Od...pri, multimedia installation
2010/11, Grosuplje — public artwork, Handing over, sculptural installation at the roundabout in Grosuplje
2010, Ljubljana — Opening of the Studio, sculptural installation in the new studio
2010, Maribor, University Library Gallery — Addressing the freedom of the other, sculptural installation
2009, Pohorje forest, the Pahernik's forest — "Mo/nu/ment", sculptural installation
2007, Rogaška Slatina, Gallery Ana — Gift of Being / Horizon, sculptural installation with photography
2007, Ljubljana, Gallery Kresija — Okrožje-Circuit, sculptural installation with Polona Maher and Peter Ciuha
2006, Vienna, Gallery of the Slovenian Cultural Centre "Korotan" — Gift of the Being, sculptural installation
2006, Škofja Loka, Ivan Grohar Gallery — O...pen..., multimedia installation
2006, Maribor, Media Nox Gallery — To do, multimedia installation
2005, Ljubljana, Gruber Open Air Gallery — Point of view, sculpture installation with workshops
2004, Maribor, Gallery of the Artists' Society of Maribor — multimedia installation "Fields" (with Janez Ferlan)
2004, Grosuplje — co-organizing and participating at a symposium on stone sculptures, with sculptures positioned throughout the town and workshops with local school teachers
2004, Vienna, Albertina Museum — lecture and workshop on the ethical impact of art
2004, Kostanjevica na Krki, Božidar Jakac Gallery — Addressing the freedom of the other, installation in the 12th-century former monastery church (with Žiga Okorn)
2003, Ljubljana — invited lecture to art professors, organized by the National Education Institute
2003, Ljubljana — opening of the Celica Youth Hostel, a former prison: co-creation of the conceptual basis and furnishing of one of the cells
2002, Ostrožac na Uni, Bosnia and Herzegovina — reviving the traditional sculptural symposium, sculpture in "bihacit" stone by the hotel Sedra
2002, Novo Mesto, Simulaker/Goga Gallery — sculptural installation
2002, Ljubljana, former prison at Metelkova — installation of the "cornerstone" for the opening of the reconstruction process
2002, Ljubljana, Academy of Fine Arts and Design — lecture on humanity and ethics in art (with Žiga Okorn)
2001, Ljubljana, United Association of Slovenian Artists Gallery — lectures including "Abuse of Visual Language by Popular Media and Advertising Industry", presentation of the book "Ethical Insights into Art" and a round table
2001, Celje, City Art Salon — installation and event (with painter Irena Potočnik) as part of "Unusual pairs", curated by Nevenka Šivavec
2001, Ljubljana, Academy of Fine Arts and Design — lecture on ecological views of producing images
2001, Ljubljana, National Gallery of Modern Art — round table about "Ethics in art"
2000, Krško, Gallery in the former chapel of the "Holy Spirit" (with Žiga Okorn)
2000, Ljubljana, Equrna Gallery — "Duration of being", sculptural installation and participatory workshop with palm prints in bees wax and forest seeds
2000, Škofja Loka, Ivan Grohar Gallery — projection of family photographs, casting of small wax sculptures for visitors
1999, Slovenj Gradec, Town Gallery — sculptural installation and seminar for students (with Žiga Okorn)
1998, Ljubljana, National Museum of Recent History — sculptures and artistic event "Monument, moment and movement"
1997, Ljubljana — co-organizer of participatory workshops during the "European month of culture", on renovating the former prison into a youth hostel
1996, Ljubljana, former prison at Metelkova — beginning of fresco painting in the dark cell
1996, Ljubljana — participatory workshops with young people (with Žiga Okorn)
1995, Rogaška Slatina — participatory workshop in the old Temple above the main mineral water source
1995, Ljubljana — artistic event in Revolution square: handing out seeds in clay palm prints and books about the place
1994, Ljubljana — a non-gallery process "Kata-logos": handing out forest seeds and texts (with Vilma Ducman and Vesna Krmelj)
1993, Ljubljana, former military prison — exhibition in the cell and co-organizing of the Sestava group
1993, Maribor — event: handing out thirty trees to visitors at the opening
1992, Ljubljana — artistic answer to the West award commission. Title: West, "vest" ("vest" means conscience in Slovenian)
1992, Ljubljana — "Exhibition of Robba's Fountain" and warning about its conservation
1991, Rogaška Slatina — mapping out the ground plan for a new hotel in the historical park; established a society against wild urbanization (with Vilma Ducman)
1991, Ljubljana — installation at the former Rihard Jakopič Gallery
1991, Ljubljana, National Gallery of Modern Art — installation and round table about site-specific sculptures (with painter Žiga Okorn)
1991, Ljubljana — installation on the fish pond in Tivoli park (with painter Žiga Okorn)
1990, Maribor — exhibition in the Dance studio
1988, Ljubljana, Gallery KUD France Prešeren — Paintings
1987, Kranj, Gallery Prešernova hiša — Sculptures of Paper and Wire
1984, Gorizia, Italy, Gallery Il Torchio — Drawings and Painted Letters

Group exhibitions

2011, Celje, Gallery for Contemporary Arts — Sculpture Today: statues, figures and bodies, curated by Tomaž Brejc, Irena Čerčnik, Jiři Kočica and Polona Tratnik
2010, Nova Gorica, City Gallery — Sculptors and Book, curated by Tatjana Pregl Kobe
2010, Celje, Gallery for Contemporary Arts — Sculpture Today: components, relations and cross sections, curated by Tomaž Brejc, Alenka Domjan, Jiři Kočica and Polona Tratnik
2010, Ljubljana, Gruber Open Air Gallery — Book of Sculptors, curated by Tatjana Pregl Kobe
2008, Venice, Italy, Gallery A+A — Venice Architectural Biennial, sculpture installation with the architectural group "Open circle", curated by Janko Rožič
2008, Ljubljana, City Hall Gallery — "Figures as statues, statues as figures", curator dr. Jure Mikuž
2008, Slovenj Gradec, Koroška galerija likovnih umetnosti — "Poetics", curated by Tatjana Pregl Kobe
2008, Vienna, Gallery of the Slovenian Science Institute — exhibition of professors from the Pedagogical Faculty of Maribor University, curator dr. Marjeta Ciglenečki
2006, Vienna, Gallery of the Slovenian Cultural Center Korotan — selection by dr. Marjeta Ciglenečki
2006, Ljubljana, City Hall Gallery — "The Sublime in Sculpture", selection by dr. Aleš Erjavec
2004, Ljubljana, City Hall Gallery — "Faces of the sculpture", selection by dr. Aleš Erjavec; received the Prize of the Mayoress of Ljubljana
2004, Washington D.C. — documentary photographs of the renovation of the former Metelkova prison into the Youth hostel "Celica"
2003, Maribor and Brück an der Mur — exhibition of the Society of Visual Artists from Maribor
2002, Brussels — exhibition of Slovenian artists in the cabinet of Guenther Verheugen
2002, Ljubljana — May Show of the Slovenian Society of Visual Artists
2002, Sao Paulo, Brazil — Slovenian national selection at the Sao Paulo Biennial
2002, Ljubljana, Gallery "Rihard Jakopič" — exhibition of the members of the Slovenian Artists Society
2001, Maribor, City Gallery of Art — "From the Birth to the Birth"
1995, Rijeka, Croatia — Biennial of young artists
1992, Ljubljana, Old city power station — Artists for the ex-military barracks
1992, Ljubljana, Gallery "Rihard Jakopič" — "To where does the picture extend?"
1991, Podsreda — medieval castle exhibition space
1988, Laško — Old Castle Gallery

Selected bibliography

"Je Markov Evangelij 1/8...?", article, Likovne besede, Jan. 92, pg. 102–103, Ljubljana, 1992
Site specific sculpture, M.A. thesis, Ljubljana, 1994
Bienale mladih (Biennial of young artists), catalogue, 1995, Rijeka, Croatia
"V središču Evrope med antiko in novim vekom: v Ljubljani", article, Likovne besede, Oct. 1995, pg. 72–73
"Urbanaria", article, Likovne besede, Oct. 1995, pg. 74
"Odzven odstrtosti", book, Ljubljana, 1995
"Metelkova danes in jutri", editing and author of one article, Ljubljana, 1996
"Sestava", article, Arhitektov bilten, May 1996, pg. 54–59
"Dejavnice", article, Likovne besede, Dec. 1996, pg. 78–80
"Čemu likovni pouk?", article, Razgledi, 11. 12. 1996, pg. 12
Report from Slovenia: Ljubljana goes international, John O'Brien, Art in America, June 1996, pg. 43–44
Sestave, book, National Museum of Recent History and City Gallery Maribor, 1997
Kip, gib, vzgib, book, National Museum of Recent History, Ljubljana, 1998
Svet-uvid, book, Škofja Loka, 2000
Odtisi nekega srečanja, interview in magazine Finance, 28 Aug. 2000, Ljubljana
Dejavnica kot proces estetskega izkustva, article in the book "Stvarnost podobe", Ljubljana, 2000
Telo in telos umetnosti, article, Ampak, Nov. 2000, Ljubljana
Možnost umetnosti, article, Ampak, Dec. 2000, Ljubljana
Pris(o)tnost v umetnosti, article, Likovne besede, July 2001, Ljubljana
Ethical Insights of Art, editor and author of an article, book, ZDSLU, Ljubljana, 2001 (other authors: Vesna Krmelj, Janko Rožič, Borut Ošlaj, John O'Brien, Aleksander S. Ostan)
O kiparstvu kot etičnem dejanju, article, proceedings of the 8th conference of the Slovenian Society of Landscape Architects, Rogaška Slatina, Nov. 2001
Idealizem in iskrena vera v ljudi, article by Semira Osmanagič, Delo, 7 Oct. 2001
"Smisel našega početja", article in the magazine of the Slovenian advertising festival, 13 March 2002
Art center Metelkova Mesto, catalogue of the Sao Paulo Biennial – Paises, pg. 118–120, Sao Paulo, 2002