Intimacy and sexuality have passed from the field of privacy and taboo several decades ago, becoming a more liberal and ever-present subject of diverse thought and research also within the arts. Among other things, the arts have dealt with the issues of sexual roles and patriarchal constructs, sexual identities, stereotypical representations and sexual exploitation. A wide variety of personal experiences, desires and fantasies associated with pleasure have become visible through art. Contemporary man’s integration in the time of production has been considered, the question of whether he even has the time for sexual pleasure and the concurrent hypersexualisation of society. Issues tied to the body and sexuality have often been contemplated with an engaged approach that has contributed to social transformation, not infrequently also with an extreme radicality of expression – let us only remind ourselves of the performances by the feminist artists in the 1960s and 1970s, or the interweaving of pornography and art during the 1990s.

The Duckling Festival, launched by CSU with a focus on the relationship between art and sexuality, touches upon the widest spectrum of intimacy, emotions and sexuality with this year’s edition entitled Production of Desire and Pleasure, including an exhibition and a series of performances. Only later will it focus on selected narrower topics. The reason for deciding to avoid making suggestions to the invited artists this time, most of whom are also participating with new projects, which would point them to a selected narrower issue, was the wish for the first edition to open the only and central issue: What kind of issues and dilemmas regarding sexuality are being shaped today within the field of art and what are the ways in which artists are putting these up for consideration? In this way, we wish to follow today’s “talking” about sexuality, as well as observe today’s approach to the issues addressed in the past, which still remain topical.

More: www.csu.si

Arists: Boris Beja, Vlasta Delimar, Mitja Ficko, Hupa Brajdič kolektiv, IvAnKe (Andreja Džakušič, Keiko Miyazaki in Iva Tratnik), Olja Grubić in Živa Petrič, Nina Koželj, Andrea Knezović, Vika Kirchenbauer, Sarah Maple, Iza Pavlina, Franc Purg, Pila Rusjan, Lada in Sašo Sedlaček, Iva Tratnik, Noemi Veberič Levovnik

Curator: Irena Čerčnik

Galerija Račka opening hours Thursday till Sunday 4pm - 8pm.