Team - BIO28

BIO28 TEAM

matali crasset

matali crasset has championed design at the crossroads of artistic, anthropological, and social practice. She is working towards creative, living, and everyday design and asking herself how can design contribute to living together and support us in the contemporary world? After creating one of the most successful spatial installations, Common Stove, for the 25th edition of the biennial Faraway So Close, the participation of the local community echoes into this production platform. matali crasset will lead The Beeswax Studio and Grotto platform.

dach&zephir

Graduates of the National School of Decorative Arts of Paris, Dimitri Zephir and Florian Dach founded their creative studio dach&zephir in 2016. Mixing fervor and poetry, their projects echo the thinking of Martinican poet Édouard Glissant and celebrate the urgent and necessary diversity of the world. For the duo, stories and history are starting points in design, acknowledging that objects are mediums for our minds. They believe in the statement that we can’t move forward without acknowledging the past and history. dach&zephir mentor the Not Erased project.

El Ultimo Grito
Roberto Feo is Professor of Practice at Goldsmiths, University of London, while Rosario Hurtado co-directs the MA Space and Communication at HEAD – Genève. Their practice responds to an ongoing investigation into the nature and representation of systems. A collective will develop a project under the mentorship of Roberto Feo and Rosario Hurtado from the collective El Último Grito.

Polonca Lovšin

Polonca Lovšin is an architect and artist based in Ljubljana. In her work, she focuses on self-organized initiatives and alternative ways of living and working related to architecture, urban planning, and environmental issues. She is exhibiting her work internationally in solo and group exhibitions and has been awarded numerous grants, awards, and residencies. She mentors the production platform Movement for Public Speech.

Michelle Phillips and Grashina Gabelmann

Michelle Phillips (Studio Yukiko) and Grashina Gabelmann (Flaneur Magazine) co-mentor the production platform Cattleya. Studio Yukiko is a Berlin-based creative agency specializing in creative direction, art direction, brand strategy, concept generation, and graphic design for commercial and cultural clients alike. The studio is producing award-winning work, unearthing narratives, telling stories of local communities worldwide, and immersing themselves in the trends of internet and youth culture. Grashina Gabelmann is a founding member and editor-in-chief of the site-specific, collaborative, and multi-disciplinary project called Flaneur Magazine. She works as a writer and translator. Her creative practices also involve listening as an act of care, giving political/creative workshops to kids, teenagers, and the elderly, and collecting stories in different communities.

PRODUCTION PLATFORM

1. Beeswax Studio and Grotto

Team: The XenoScapers Collective: Beti Frim, Ines Sekač, Katarina Babič Derenda, Mori Sikora

XenoScapers Collective is dedicated to exploring concepts, entities, and realities beyond the human norm. Through collective consciousness and intelligence, they draw inspiration from the natural world and its organic forms. Their goal is to push the boundaries of empathy and creativity, challenging their audience to see the world from new perspectives.

The collective consists of four art students—Beti, Ines, Katarina, and Mori—who specialize in ceramics, digital media, textiles, and natural dyes. Beti and Ines previously collaborated on the virtual-ceramic installation *From Moss-centric Era*, alongside Mori’s own project Ephemeral Pond, exibited the theme of ephemerality and explores the interconnectedness between the natural world and human existence, both works showcased at the 35th Biennale of Graphic Arts in Ljubljana in 2023. Meanwhile, Mori and Katarina exhibited a sculptural project titled TimeKeeper at the *Čas in Nematerialnost* exhibition at SEM in Ljubljana.

Mentor: matali crasset

Project: Beeswax hyperspace
The evolution of visual perception shapes the team’s idea of beauty, often tied to the gentle and floral. Meanwhile the intricate flow and transformation of matter is often grotesque, elusive and ambiguous. Their installation seeks to represent these qualities enriched in the multisensory experience of beeswax and other materials. The experimental aspects serve as templates to be used in the 3D visuals that will be projected on the installation made from wax, papier-mâché, fabric and ceramic forms. The video projection of models created by the group will be a sort of a welcoming piece for interaction and collective contribution to the whole Beeswax entity and the physical aspects of their structure will be used to encapsulate the magnitude of the wax hyperobject.

2. Non-erased

Team: Nika van Berkel, Anna Odulinska

Anna Odulinska (b. 1991, Poland) and Nika van Berkel (b. 1987, Slovenia) are multidisciplinary architects based in the Netherlands. Both bring distinct yet complementary approaches to design, drawing from their experiences and diverse cultural backgrounds.

Anna, an accomplished photographer and architect, has spent the past decade refining her skills across five different countries. Her creative exploration bridges photography and spatial design, examining themes like time, process, memory, and change. Anna's work is grounded in socio-spatial processes, where she seeks to understand how cities and their architecture shape the lives of their inhabitants. She collaborates with architects, urban designers, and artists, infusing her projects with a deep contextual sensitivity and a desire to connect tangible realities with creative vision.

Nika's work approaches architecture by merging it with landscape, sound, and art. Her work is rooted in testing boundaries, using conceptual thinking to uncover unexpected spatial relationships, and rethinking the conventional uses of space. She is passionate about creating atmospheres for people, whether in small or large-scale projects. Nika's process is driven by curiosity and detailed research, where she finds beauty in peculiarities and draws inspiration from unconventional ideas.

Together, Anna and Nika form a dynamic team, collaborating with designers and artists from various fields. Their projects are driven by a shared passion for creativity, research, and an understanding of how architecture can foster meaningful interactions between spaces and people. Their work stands at the intersection of imagination and reality, constantly exploring new possibilities.

Mentors: Dimitri Zephir, Florian Dach

Project:

Slovenia’s cultural heritage is woven with floral symbolism, a testament to its rich traditions. Among its botanical treasures, the Lime tree stands as an icon in the Slovene national consciousness. Throughout history, beneath the crown of these trees, gatherings of great importance found a place, fostering a sense of communal identity and belonging.

The cultivation of the carnation, particularly the splendid red variety, embodies a symbol of national pride. In this symbiotic relationship between nature and culture, Slovenia’s floral heritage emerges as a reflection of its collective identity—a narrative with threads of tradition.

In 1991, following Slovenia’s declaration of independence, a group of people found themselves in a precarious situation, stripped of their legal status and rights. These individuals, commonly referred to as “the erased,” became a focal point of discussion and debate in Slovenian society and the media.

For the erased, the loss of identity was not merely bureaucratic, it was an erasure of their very existence from society. Denied citizenship and recognition, they found themselves in uncertainty, separated from the community and belonging that anchor us all.

The juxtaposition of two contrasting elements in the brief: the positive connotation of national symbols with a shameful event in Slovenian history, led the team to contemplate the dual

symbolism of national motifs. For them, it delves into the fundamental exploration of nationality and belonging—a question that resonates globally.

3. And then there was Poppy

Team: OSM films - Tina Lager and Blaž Miklič

Tina Lagler and Blaž Miklič are freelance professionals in the cultural sector, with Tina specializing as a film director and editor, and Blaž as a director of photography and cinematographer. Since 2014, they have operated as a production duo under the name OSM Films, primarily focusing on producing their films, particularly short documentaries. In recent years, their work has expanded to include short educational and promotional films for prominent cultural institutions such as Kinodvor, Cankarjev Dom, Zavod ZVVIKS, Zavod Dagiba, MGLC, Zavod Kersnikova, etc. Their projects have received numerous awards and have been showcased both domestically—at events like the Festival of Slovenian Film (FSF), Kino Otok, Festival gorniškega filma, DOKUDOC, and the Grossmann Fantastic Film and Wine Festival—and internationally, including screenings at Filmed By Bike, Migranti Film Festival, Tabor Film Festival, SudEstival Film Festival ... Their distinctive storytelling and visual style continue to earn recognition within the film industry, enriching both their creative portfolio and contributions to cultural discourse.

Mentors: El Ultimo Grito / Maja Šuštaršič

Project:

This production platform aims to create a short film about the themes of the biennial and production platforms, the production process of the team’s work and their presentations, and the exhibition of BIO28. The film will complement the video by El Ultimo Grito. Roberto Feo is Professor of Practice at Goldsmiths, University of London, while Rosario Hurtado co-directs the MA Space and Communication at HEAD – Genève. Their practice responds to an ongoing investigation into the nature and representation of systems.

4. Movement for Public Speech

Team: Prostorož: Alenka Korenjak, Maša Cvetko, Naja Kikelj, Vesna Skubic, Zala Velkavrh

Prostorož is a non-profit urban planning studio that was created spontaneously in 2004, out of a desire to explore and understand open urban space. Today, the interdisciplinary team consists of architects, social scientists, and technical colleagues, who with their knowledge enable a multidimensional approach to the challenges of urban space. With their practice, they want to address the environmental and social challenges faced by small and large cities. That's why they turn roads into squares, revive construction pits and forgotten green areas, involve residents in spatial planning, and look for new value in old buildings. Through interventions and temporary projects, they accelerate spatial dynamics and create opportunities for new uses of public space. They connect people with public space and people with each other through space.

Mentor: Polonca Lovšin

Project:

Murmuring Orchids

Exotic flowers, especially orchids, are usually associated with stability and domesticity. They can be found in every Slovenian home, especially because in the last 20 years they have become the most stereotypical gift for women - sisters, mothers, grandmothers, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances. The gift or purchase of an orchid, on the other hand, indicates that a person has a home, in which you can place an exotic flower. If someone owns an orchid, this implies a stable home environment, on the other hand, giving an orchid to someone who does not have a home seems inappropriate, since he will not be able to take care of the flower and will be in the cold, wind, while moving, etc. died. Orchids need ideal conditions to thrive - just like those needed for human comfort. The right temperature, humidity, zero gusts of wind, and constant care. The installation places murmuring orchids as central figures that convey the hidden narratives of women facing precarious housing conditions. Inside a safe, intimate space located in one of the museum's overflowing, sprawling rooms, the orchids will murmur the stories of retirees, single mothers, students, and other women facing a housing crisis. Visitors will only be able to hear them if they pay special attention to the orchid and its story.

5. Cattleya

Team: Yasa Collective: Sara Bezovšek, Asiana Jurca Avci, Dora Trček, Gaja Vičič

The YASA collective was founded in the spring of 2024 and comprises four artists who work between Ljubljana and Berlin. The collective consists of digital artist, graphic designer, and videographer Sara Bezovšek, photographer and multimedia artist Asiana Jurca Avci, graphic, floral, and textile designer Gaja Vičič, and journalist and curator Dora Trček. Their artistic and research-based practices share a common interest in questioning and subverting established norms of gender and femininity, critical analysis and reappropriation of internet and pop culture, the boundaries between the personal and political and self-image, and self-representation in the post-digital age. In addition, they like to play with bold, striking, and disruptive visual language, using a dense pool of visual references, always eager to explore new ways of experimenting with visual storytelling. For BIO28, they have been part of the Cattleya production platform, which is mentored by Michelle Phillips (Studio Yukiko) and Grashina Gabelmann (Flaneur Magazine).

Mentors: Grashina Gabelmann and Michelle Phillips

Project:

Don’t Teach a Flower How to Bloom is a research-based project in which the YASA collective has attempted to tackle the deeply ingrained stereotypes surrounding femininity and gender (roles) when parallels are drawn between women and flowers. The project critically examines and deconstructs the patriarchal language and beliefs that often reinforce stereotypes of softness, beauty, and passivity, and confine women to roles that emphasize fragility and ornamental value. Through a series of five posters (and accompanying web pages), each of which represents a common stereotype, which is shared by women and flowers, the project seeks to challenge and disrupt these limiting representations, instead highlighting the resilience, complexity, and multifaceted nature of both. The posters serve as attractors of attention and interest, displayed in the city center during the exhibition and in the following months. Additionally, each poster displays a QR code, which leads to an accompanying website- a visually dense representation of the stereotypes being addressed, which explores how women are depicted in media, literature, advertising, and online through found imagery. The posters and the website symbolically represent "the truth" and "the lies," hinting at the “double agent” metaphor from the original call. Through bold visual storytelling and the intertwining of image and text, the project reclaims floral imagery as a symbol of strength and transformation rather than reducing it to a merely decorative role.

Barbara Predan

Barbara Predan (Foto/Photo: Matjaž Rušt).

Dr. Barbara Predan is a theorist, lecturer, author, associate professor, and the Vice-Dean for Development and Research at the University of Ljubljana, Academy of Fine Arts and Design, in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Predan has published professional and scholarly articles in various journals, including Design Issues, The Design Journal, Design Principles and Practices, The International Journal of Design in Society, Filozofski Vestnik, 2+3D, and Oris, among others. In 2014, she, along with Petra Černe Oven, contributed a chapter titled "Information Design as a (R)evolutionary Educational Tool" to Routledge's Information Design: Research and Practice, edited by Alison Black, Paul Luna, Ole Lund, and Sue Walker. Her recent extensive research, conducted in collaboration with Špela Šubic, has focused on exploring the role of women in design. This effort culminated in an exhibition and a scientific monograph titled Why is a Vase Like a House? From the Systemic to the Fantastical, with designer Janja Lap (2023). Predan is a co-founder and the leader of the Department of Design Theory at the Pekinpah Association. Since 2014, she has also been the Director of the Ljubljana Institute of Design, an academic research organization. She is the author or co-author of seven books, has edited twelve books, and curated twenty-one exhibitions.

Michelle Millar Fisher

Michelle Millar Fisher is currently the Ronald C. and Anita L. Wornick Curator of Contemporary Decorative Arts within the Contemporary Art Department at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Her work focuses on the intersections of people, power, and the material world. At the MFA, she is working on her next book and exhibition, tentatively titled Craft Schools: Where We Make What We Inherit, which is taking her across 48 contiguous US states via train over the course of a year. The recipient of an MA and an M.Phil in Art History from the University of Glasgow, Scotland, she received an M.Phil from and is currently completing her doctorate in art history at The Graduate Center at the City University of New York (CUNY). She is part of the 2022 fellow cohort at the Center for Curatorial Leadership.

Renata Salecl

Renata Salcel

Renata Salecl (born 1962) is a Slovene philosopher, sociologist, and legal theorist. She is a senior researcher at the Institute of Criminology, Faculty of Law at the University of Ljubljana, and holds a professorship at Birkbeck College, University of London. She has been a visiting professor at London School of Economics, lecturing on the topic of emotions and law. Every year she lectures at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law (New York) on Psychoanalysis and Law, and she has also been teaching courses on neuroscience and law. Since 2012, she has been a visiting professor at the Department of Social Science, Health, and Medicine at King's College London. Her books have been translated into fifteen languages. In 2017, she was elected as a member of the Slovene Academy of Science.

Oli Stratford

Oli Stratford is a writer and editor working within long-form journalism, non-fiction, and publishing. He currently works as the editor-in-chief of Disegno, a quarterly cultural journal, and as the head of editorial for the creative agency Disegno Works. Independently of this, he has contributed writing and editing to leading institutions and publishers such as the V&A, Phaidon, Gestalten, and Kunsthalle Wien.