Photo: P74 Gallery Archive
Thursday, 18 September 2025, 8pm
Goethe-Institut Beograd, Belgrade
„Menjačnica“ Gallery, Knez Mihailova 50, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
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Participants:
Tadej Pogačar, artist and the gallery’s founder
Miško Šuvaković, art theorist
Selman Trtovac, Goethe Institute in Belgrade
In the new edition of the Art Café, we will present P74 Gallery and its development over the decades. In a discussion with Tadej Pogačar and Miško Šuvaković, we will contextualise the Gallery’s work and its unique features.
Contemporary art in Slovenia experienced a revival and gained international recognition in the 1990s. During the mid- and second half of the 1990s, many non-governmental organisations were founded, such as Kapelica (1995), Alkatraz (1996/1997), and P74 Gallery (1997). Slovenian artists were invited to participate in events like Manifesta (1996), Documenta X (1997), Muenster (1997), and After the Wall (1999). Along with larger organisations, the small, independent ones also played a significant role. They are closer to everyday life, and they understand its nature and demands. They are spontaneous and flexible. Small organisations are not part of the artistic community that is obsessed with knowledge, power, and size.
P74 Gallery was established as an artist-run space by Tadej Pogačar. The gallery introduced a new type of discursive exhibition space, incorporating research into exhibitions and demonstrating that it was more than simply a place that exhibits artworks.
P74 Gallery has played a significant role as a producer in major international art events, such as the 49th Venice Biennale (2001), the 27th São Paulo Biennale (2006), the 10th Istanbul Biennale (2007), and Manifesta 9 (2012). The P74 Gallery hosted the first solo exhibitions in Ljubljana by artists such as Goran Trbuljak (2004), Sanja Iveković (2006), Dalibor Martinis (2007), Hito Steyerl (2009), Antoni Muntadas, Grupa 143, Provisional SALTA Ensemble platform, and others.
In 2003, P74 Gallery established a collection of Artist Books. In 2008, it began participating in international Artist Book fairs and, in 2009, international contemporary art fairs. These Artist Books have been acquired by numerous institutions, such as MoMA, New York; International Center of Photography, New York; CNEAI, Paris; The Weserburg Museum of Modern Art, Bremen; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; South End University Collection, London, etc.
Today, P74 Gallery is recognised as one of the leading contemporary art galleries in Ljubljana. Its main mission is to collaborate and share ideas by promoting innovative models of contemporary art and culture at both local and international levels.