Lik Society from Izola

Proposer: Izola Town Library

This creative group has for more than thirty years (since 1975) brought together people from Izola eager for new knowledge at the initiative of Stanka Jenko and Marko Skok. They had different occupations and diverse prior knowledge of art, but all wanted to know how to capture a moment on canvas, master the language of art, and express themselves with it. In 1976, they joined the Association of Art Groups of Slovenia, regularly attending artistic colonies organised by the Association. In addition, from the outset they have attended education in line with the annual plan adopted, and under the guidance of experienced mentors, academy painters, sculptors, architects and art educators. Their mentors were Sašo Stegovič, Mira Ličen Krmpotič, Jure Cihlar, Anton Flego, Teo Tavželj and Marlene Zorjan. They meet on Thursdays in the premises of the society; they paint, try out new techniques and various materials, they experiment with colours, they keep up to date with events in the arts world, and they exchange experience. They attend art-history lectures and meetings with artists, they visit exhibitions ... they are full of new ideas, but are sufficiently diverse to complement and encourage each other. They discuss and evaluate each other's work, increasing their knowledge and self-criticism. Of course, the mentor has a decisive role here; since 2003 they have been led by arts educator Marlene Zorjan. At the end of the 90s under the leadership of Teo Tavželj they moved from the initial development of artistic skills towards a search for personal content and techniques. Until 2002 they deepened their knowledge in large formats, and learnt to express themselves through modern visual media (installations). By stepping out of the studio, they mastered sensitivity for events in the social space, and responded to them. Since then, part of their annual exhibition has been staged outside. Some of them have become essential parts of the image of the town. They also contribute to the pulse of the town with exhibitions and traditional international ex tempore. They are co-founders or the Association of Arts Societies of Slovenia. They take part successfully in the Golden Palette competition, and they are particularly proud of their 2002 certificate and the exhibition of their work in the Slovenian parliament.