Strengthening mutual trust, particularly by promoting measures related to people-to-people networking projects.
The project addresses the shared challenge of fostering mutual understanding and cooperation in the cross-border region. It uses art as a tool to engage with sensitive social issues in an innovative and thought-provoking way. Within the programme area, there is a noticeable gap between urban and rural environments, where marginalized groups are often more exposed to discrimination and social isolation. In addition, cross-border cooperation between cultural institutions remains limited, hindering the exchange of innovative practices and the creation of new opportunities for collaboration in the fields of art and culture.
By incorporating contemporary artistic practices such as performance, multimedia works, sculptures, and paintings, the project goes beyond traditional exhibition formats and encourages active audience participation.
The project is based on the implementation of a joint exhibition, developed through collaboration between artists from Slovenia and Austria, who will merge their artistic practices and approaches to addressing social challenges. Through their work, the artists will explore the boundaries between science, social stereotypes, and artistic expression, creating a unique and engaging artistic experience for visitors.
In doing so, the project opens a new chapter in cross-border artistic production and contributes to a deeper understanding of complex social issues affecting both countries.
Relevance and context
The project addresses significant territorial challenges in the cross-border region of Slovenia and Austria, where social divisions and prejudices against marginalized groups—such as LGBTQ+ communities, migrants, people with mental health conditions, and other minorities—still persist.
Common challenges
The challenges addressed by the project include a lack of intercultural dialogue, limited understanding of marginalized groups, and their unequal treatment in social, cultural, and economic contexts.
- for connecting cultures that share a common space, history, cuisine, border, and heritage… Through the implementation of joint productions, partners foster a new, shared approach to collaboration in the fields of intermedia art, music, and visual arts and media.
- cultural production becomes more professional through international cooperation, advancing to a higher level; it is no longer merely a local, folkloric leisure activity, but instead opens up opportunities to enter international markets.
The goals and mission of our project are to increase the number of joint projects and programs, and to open up opportunities for establishing a shared artistic market and collaboration through workshops, networking, media outreach, and social interaction.
Without cross-border cooperation, this is not possible, as we remain confined to a local environment that does not enable the growth and development of an individual institution, let alone individual creativity.
The added value for the partners was already evident during the project preparation phase, as we became familiar with the organization and structure of the partner institutions. For participants and artists, the added value will be an increased number of international contacts within their field of work, greater opportunities for the sale of copyrights and artworks, and expanded possibilities for performing and presenting abroad.
Interest groups, including non-governmental organizations
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Slovenia and Austria play an important role in addressing issues such as marginalization, human rights, LGBTQ+ equality, mental health, and social exclusion. The project will enable cross-border cooperation between NGOs working in these fields and will create a new platform for the exchange of knowledge, practices, and experiences on both sides of the border. Collaboration with artists and cultural institutions will help NGOs develop innovative approaches to addressing marginalized groups through art and cultural events.
The cooperation of NGOs will be crucial for disseminating the project results, as they will be able to directly involve the target groups they already work with. Cross-border collaboration makes it possible to address shared societal challenges present in both countries and to develop solutions based on experiences from one country that can be successfully transferred to the other.
Others
The partners will engage legal entities from both sides of the border in the implementation of the project, ensuring that the cooperation is sustainable and extends beyond culture to include tourism, the development of new products, and numerous other forms of interpersonal exchange.
Cross-border legal entities, such as cultural associations, youth centers, cultural centers, publishing houses, and music producers, will be invited to our events for interactive networking. We believe that this can lead to the development of highly positive projects in the near future.
The partners are among the first cross-border legal entities to join forces in the joint implementation of a project on both sides of the border.
General public
The general public will benefit from an innovative artistic experience that will highlight the challenges of marginalized groups through paintings, sculptures, photography, and performances.
Artistic events will be designed to provide visitors with a deeper understanding of these topics and to encourage them to reflect on their own prejudices and their role in society.
In addition to artistic events, the project will also include educational workshops and round tables, where the public will be able to take part in discussions with artists, experts, and representatives of NGOs.
The project will enable broader access to artistic and cultural events, thereby increasing cultural participation in both countries. The exhibitions will be designed to be accessible to various target groups, including youth, the elderly, and minorities, which will contribute to greater inclusion and diversity within the cultural space.
The public will have the opportunity to develop greater sensitivity toward marginalized groups through art and to contribute to creating a more inclusive and tolerant society in the cross-border region.
Each partner’s contribution is designed according to their experience, local connections, and ability to mobilize the community, enabling the effective achievement of project goals and ensuring sustainable results.
Joint cooperation contributes to establishing sustainable connections between institutions on both sides of the border, which is crucial for the long-term inclusion of marginalized groups and for the dissemination of project results. It also enables the project to transcend local frameworks and achieve a broader European dimension, while providing wider access to artistic and educational resources, as well as the transfer of practices and methods.
This increases efficiency and ensures that the results can be applied in various cultural and social contexts. Through cross-border cooperation, the partners enable the project to adapt to the specific needs of both countries, while also creating broader European connections that will contribute to the sustainable development and implementation of the project.
The planning and implementation of joint events, the creation of new works, and collaborative processes among artists represent a new creative activity that is becoming a permanent form of our work. We actively connect artists of different expressive techniques and aesthetics to jointly develop fresh, interdisciplinary productions.
Co-production emerges as a response to the challenges faced by creators and the broader creative sector. We recognize that production conditions are often similar and characteristic of border regions—yet we see opportunity in these circumstances. We transform limitations into a starting point for the development of new ideas, collaborations, and realized projects.
Through joint action, we expand opportunities for the visibility and recognition of artistic practices. Collaboration brings greater publicity, supported by positive public attention extending also to cross-border regions, and enables easier and more organic creative integration within the broader European space. Our goal is to create a connective, open, and sustainable environment for artistic growth and dialogue.
The overall objective of the project is to create a sustainable platform for artistic and social collaboration, where marginalized groups will have the opportunity to actively participate in cultural activities and contribute to raising social awareness about stereotypes and exclusion.
Through our existing network of partners, we will enable the active involvement of local groups in project activities, ensuring that the project has a direct impact on the affected communities.
Their role in the project is focused on strengthening cross-border cooperation between artists from Austria and Slovenia.
Schaumbad – Freies Atelierhaus Graz is one of the leading artistic institutions in Graz, bringing together a wide network of artists, curators, and cultural workers.
Artists & Poor’s is a tandem focused on intermedia art and visual production. It consists of Nina Jeza, an art historian, curator, and exhibition curator, and Petja Janžekovič, Master of Philosophy.
They operate in the field of visual arts and intermedia—meaning they go beyond the traditional boundaries of fine art (painting, sculpture) by incorporating various media, performance, and new technologies.