Look me in the eyes, the time is now!

Students’ Group Exhibition from the School of Arts, University of Nova Gorica
Galerija Obrat, Trg revolucije 9, 2000 Maribor
March 20 – April 17, 2025
Opening: March 20, 2025, at 6:00 PM

“Hope is a powerful and useful emotion, but it directs us towards the future. We hope that ‘someday’ it will be better, that it will be better soon. That “someone” will do “something” that will change the course of events. But who will be this powerful individual who will come and save the world? And won’t it be too late if we just wait for it to happen?”

For this year’s exhibition at Obrat gallery, we have chosen works that speak about this in their own way. About our own view of the world, about reflecting on ourselves, about ourselves in the community, about ourselves as inhabitants of the world, about ourselves as an important part of the future of the world. About the responsibility that this carries with it. About the importance of each individual for the existence of the world.

“Hey, let’s start with ourselves! Look me in the eyes, the time is now!”, we are now wondering what the world has turned into in the meantime, what should we do. This call still implies, let’s start with ourselves, and even more importantly, the message is, let’s find the ‘other’. Let’s look each other in the eyes, like two beings who respect each other, and spread this throughout the world. We are a community. We are a community, but so divided as we haven’t been for a long time. So at odds as we haven’t been for a long time. Each standing on their own river bank, where two strangers can feel like enemies at first glance.
“Don’t judge. Look me in the eyes, let’s calm down. Look me in the eyes, let’s talk. Look me in the eyes, let’s calm the world down!“

Rene Rusjan
Director of the School of Arts program, University of Nova Gorica

Exhibition:
Students: Luka Carlevaris, Ana Evtić, Primož Lukežič, Tamara Taskova
Mentors: Jasna Hribernik, Robertina Šebjanič, Rene Rusjan

Program of Animated, Fiction, Experimental, and Documentary Films:
Students: Nel Jeraj Sedej, Natalia Polonskaia, Toma Kirina, Brina Fekonja, Neda Ivanović, Karin Likar, Dragana Stanković, Melita Sandrin, Anja Resman, Anja Resman, Vanja Miloš Jovanović, Tenej Davidović

You can view excerpts from last year’s exhibition here.

Below you can view photos from the exhibition opening, photographer Janez Klenovšek: