Tch. Asst. Gregor Kokalj

I was born on 21 February 1967 in Ljubljana. I attended primary school in Šentvid near Ljubljana and continued my education at the Secondary School of Design and Photography in Ljubljana. In 1987 I enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts, majoring in painting, where I received the Prešeren Student Award in 1989, and in 1991 I graduated from prof. Janez Bernik. In 1992 I enrolled in a specialist study of painting under the mentorship of prof. Lojze Logar and graduated in 1994 with a degree. In the same year, I enrolled in the specialist study of restoration with prof. France Kokalj and graduated in 1996 with a degree. In 1994, I was elected an assistant intern in the Department of Restoration, and in 1997 I was awarded the title of full-time assistant in drawing and painting in the Department of Restoration.
As part of my obligations at the Department of Restoration and Conservation, I participated in pedagogical and professional work in drawing and painting, as well as in development of conservation and restoration. I participated in restoration and conservation projects which were carried out within the Department of Restoration and projects on the Creative Path and Student Innovative Projects. I actively participated in the editing of the Archive of Works of Art owned by the Academy of Fine Arts and the design of both the painting and graphic collections. I participated in arranging and organising departmental as well as academic exhibitions at various locations in Slovenia and abroad. I actively participated in the evaluations of departmental study programs and their updating and upgrading. As part of pedagogical processes, I participated in the subjects of the Department of Restoration, Drawing and Techniques I, II and Painting and Techniques I, II. As an assistant, I also participated in the restoration subjects Copistics I.
I participated in the management and organisation of drawing courses at the Academy of Fine Arts, first in the Department of Painting under the leadership of Prof. Novinec, and later also independently in the restoration department.
During my studies (both undergraduate and postgraduate), I actively developed my work in painting and restoration.
I developed figural art which I can define as a personally coloured version of figural art. I developed my painting in the context of modernist authors, with whom dealing with our own image and the human characters around us developed in the spirit of dealing with the role of man in society, the creative space of the artist and existential philosophy. The continuity of the most famous figuralists who expressively transformed human characters, Picasso and Beckmann, was continued by the painters Baselitz, Immendorf, Luepertz in a distinctly subjectivist way which was reflected in special, original and almost unreadable iconography and expressionist moves. This subjectivist new expressionism remained alive with painters of distinctly authorial positions in the 1990s and seems to be the only way to preserve the tradition of European subjectivism. I use these starting points to attempt to build my personal expression, particularly with expressive branding of small deformations of mutual relationships, traumatology of home space and the self-irony of one’s own position.

The figures placed on some sort of a stage express the time in which they live, their urban environment from which they come, and they all emerge with symbols of their daily lives and attitudes to more or less important details.
During my undergraduate studies, I participated in several group exhibitions within the Academy of Fine Arts, where I presented my paintings and graphic works.
In my postgraduate studies, I also exhibited at selection exhibitions, such as the International Biennial of Graphic Arts, the Biennial of Slovenian Graphics and the International Selection Bureau at the Hauser Art Center in America. After completing my postgraduate studies, I presented my work in several group and solo exhibitions, including Forma Eterna and Positions of the Body, which were presented to the international public in Bologna, Spittal, Celje, Bonn and Finland.

As part of my activities in the restoration department of the Academy of Fine Arts, I also participated in several restoration projects. Already in my postgraduate studies, I have participated in the conservation and restoration of the Komenda pulpit, and later I led the conservation and restoration of the frescoes in the church of Sv. Lambert in Rut, interior stucco in the Slovenian Philharmonic, Royal frescoes on Prem, research into plaster in the old prelature in the Kostanjevica monastery, and small projects in conservation and restoration of frescoes, plaster and wood.

 

Exhibitions

  • 1991: Students of the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana, City Gallery Ljubljana
  • 1992:
    • How far does the picture go? Rihard Jakopič Art Exhibition, Ljubljana
    • Students of the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana, City Gallery Ljubljana 
  • 1993:
    • Young Slovenian Graphics, MGLC, Ljubljana
    • 20th International Graphic Biennial, Modern Gallery, Ljubljana
    • Ivan Napotnik Gallery, Velenje 
  • 1994:
    • 3. Biennial of Slovenian Graphics, Dolenjska Gallery Novo Mesto
    • Modern Gallery, Zagreb
    • Ivan Napotnik Gallery, Velenje
    • Student exhibition of graphics 1978-1994, Modern Gallery, Ljubljana
    • 25th Bradley National Print & Drawing exhibition, Hauser Art Center, Bradley University, Peoria, Illinois/USA 
  • 1995:
    • 21. International Biennial of Graphic Arts, Modern Gallery, Ljubljana
    • The 18th International Independent Exhibition of Prints in Kangawa, Japan
    • Forma Eterna, Modern Gallery, Bologna
    • Forma Eterna, Schlos Portia, Spittal
    • Forma Eterna, Museum of Modern Art, Celje 
  • 1997: Mihelič Gallery, Ptuj
  • 1998:
    • Mihelič Gallery, Ptuj
    • City of Dobrovo, Galerija
  • 1999:
    • Grohar Gallery, Škofja Loka
    • At the last minute, Brussels
  • 2000
    • XXIII. INT ART, Udine 2000
    • 6. Exhibition of the art colony in Vienna
    • Body position, Künstlerforum, Bonn 
    • Body position, Voipaalassa, Finland
    • KOKALJ, Gregor (artist). The Slovenian Association of Fine Arts Societies: Exhibition on the occasion of the admission of new members to the Slovenian Association of Fine Arts Societies 
  • 2001: La Cite Internationale des Arts, Paris
  • 2002: Wild at Heart, Equrna Gallery, Ljubljana
  • 2003: Pristina (M.Mulliqi Gallery)
  • 2014:
    • Our time: year 1987-1991: Art Factory-Majšperk
    • Words from pictures, Domžale Gallery 
  • 2020: Mlinček, Domžale Gallery

 

Restoration projects

  • 1996: Conservation and restoration of Jelovšek’s pulpit in Komenda
  • 1999:
    • Conservation and restoration of Gothic frescoes in St. Margaret church in Radomlje
    • Conservation and restoration of the Throne of Mary on the Holy Mountains in Bizeljsko
  • 2000:
    • Conservation and restoration of the Royal frescoes in the church of St. Helena in Prem
    • Probing and conservation of frescoes in the parish church of St. Lambert in Rut, Baška grapa
  • 2001: Renovation of stucco in the main and entrance hall of the Ljubljana Philharmonic
  • 2002: Conservation and restoration of the side altar in the church of St. Helena, Dolsko
  • 2004:
    • Conservation and restoration of the side altar in the church of St. Helena, Dolsko
    • Conservation and restoration of altars in the church of St. Nicholas, Bizovik
    • Conservation and restoration of the main altar (architectural work) in the Holy Mountains, Bizeljsko 
  • 2005: Conservation and restoration of frescoes by Tone Kralj in the church of St. Helena in Prem

 

Kolonije

  • 1993-1994: Colony Izlake, Izlake
  • 1991-1993: Colony Velenje, Ivan Napotnik Gallery, Velenje
  • 1994: Candles Colony, Rose Valley, Austria
  • 1997-1998: Colony Štatenberg
  • 2000: 6th Vienna Art Colony

 

Nagrade

  • 1991: Prešeren Student Award
  • 1993: Ivan Napotnik Award

 

Projekti PKP in ŠIPK

  • Development, processing and testing of new materials for the production and conservation-restoration of mosaics, Participating UL members: UL ALUO, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geodesy (UL FGG) Pedagogical mentors: doc. dr. Blaž Šeme (UL ALUO), doc. mag. Gregor Kokalj (UL ALUO), prof. mag. Milan Eric (UL ALUO), prof. dr. Violeta Bokan-Bosiljkov (UL FGG), Duration: 1 March to 31 July 2017
  •  Marij Pregelj under the microscope – Research of the painter’s technology, planning of interventions and participation in the conservation-restoration of selected works of art, Participating UL members: UL ALUO, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology (UL FKKT), Pedagogical mentors: Assoc. prof. mag. Tamara Trček Pečak (UL ALUO), doc. mag. Gregor Kokalj (UL ALUO), prof. Eduard Čehovin (UL ALUO), Assoc. prof. dr. Irena Kralj Cigić (UL FKKT), Duration: 1 March to 31 July 2017
  • Innovative approaches to storing graphic sheets and other printed material on paper, Participating UL members: UL ALUO, Faculty of Arts (UL FF), Pedagogical mentors: Assoc. prof. dr. Nadja Zgonik (UL ALUO), doc. Gregor Kokalj (UL ALUO), Assoc. prof. Jure Miklavc (UL ALUO), doc. Rebecca Vidrih (UL FF), Duration: 1 March to 31/07/2018
  •  How to change the attitude towards waste through innovative re-use of materials, Pedagogical mentor: doc. Gregor Kokalj (UL ALUO), Duration: 16 June to 15 September 2018
  • Online artwork and copyright, Participating UL members: UL ALUO, Faculty of Law (UL PF), Pedagogical mentor: Assoc. prof. dr. Nadja Zgonik, doc. mag. Gregor Kokalj (UL ALUO), Duration: 1 February to 30 June 2020