Trenutna razstava / Current exhibition:
9. julij – 6. september 2026

24. Festival sodobne umetnosti Art Stays, Hvala za rože / 24th Art Stays Festival of Contemporary Art, Thank you for the flowers

Osrednja razstava / Main exhibition

Umetniki na razstavi / Exhibited Artists: Olasunkanmi Akomolehin, Eelco Brand, Paolo Campa, Giacomo Cossio, Natalija Črnčec, Jiri David, Nick Dawes, Dušan Fišer, Gabriele Grones, Rusudan Khizanishvili, Franziska Klotz, Gašper Kunšič, Matthias Langer, Tanja Lažetić, Matteo Massagrande, Luzia Simons

Med 9. in 12. julijem 2026 je na Ptuju potekala 24. izdaja Festivala sodobne umetnosti Art Stays z naslovom »Hvala za rože« (Thank you for the flowers). Ta naslov je hkrati posvetilo in namerna provokacija, saj se festival sprašuje, kolikokrat ta stavek izrečemo z narejenim nasmehom in kdaj gre zgolj za vljudnostno gesto, ki skriva več, kot izraža.

Letošnji projekt izhaja iz te cinične in ironične izjave ter se ponuja kot odprt prostor za vprašanja in dvome, ki jih včasih namesto besed izrazi že sam rahel dvig obrvi ali govorica telesa. Rože so namreč lahko darilo, izgovor ali pa alibi – okras, ki prekriva zunanje in notranje razpoke, ter gesta prijaznosti, ki včasih pride prepozno. V sodobnem svetu površnih dejanj zveni fraza »hvala za rože« kot odgovor na nekaj, s čimer se nismo zares soočili, festival pa raziskuje prav to napetost med videzom in resničnostjo, med iskrenostjo in igro.

Povabljeni umetniki se skozi fotografijo, slikarstvo, instalacije, performanse in video podajajo v svet ironije, absurda in prefinjenega humorja. Njihova dela razgaljajo mehanizme vsakdanjih osebnih, družbenih in političnih odnosov, v katerih rože ne dišijo več le po lepoti, ampak po tišini in nelagodju. »Hvala za rože« zato vabi obiskovalce, da pogledajo pod površje in v tej subtilni ironiji prepoznajo iskro resnice, medtem ko razmišljajo o tem, kaj sploh sprejmemo z darilom, o čem ob zahvali molčimo in koliko resnice se skriva v enem samem nedolžnem stavku.

From July 9 to 12, 2026, Ptuj hosted the 24th edition of the Art Stays Festival of Contemporary Arts, titled “Thank you for the flowers”. This title is both a dedication and a deliberate provocation, questioning how often this phrase is uttered with a forced smile and when it is merely a polite gesture that hides more than it expresses.

This year’s project stems from this cynical and ironic expression, offering an open space for questions and doubts that are sometimes expressed through body language or a simple raise of an eyebrow rather than words. Flowers can be a gift, an excuse, or an alibi—a decoration covering both internal and external cracks, and a gesture of kindness that sometimes arrives too late. In a contemporary world full of superficial actions, the phrase “thank you for the flowers” sounds like a response to something that has never truly been addressed, and the festival explores this very tension between appearance and reality, between sincerity and performance.

Through photography, painting, installations, performances, and video, the invited artists venture into the realms of irony, absurdity, and subtle humor. Their works lay bare the mechanisms of everyday personal, social, and political relationships, creating a space where flowers no longer just smell of beauty, but increasingly of silence and unease. “Thank you for the flowers” is therefore not a final destination but an open situation, inviting visitors to look beneath the surface and recognize a spark of truth in that subtle irony, while reflecting on what we actually accept with a gift, what we keep silent about when we say thank you, and how much truth can be hidden in a single, seemingly innocent phrase.

Umetniki 2026 / Artists 2026: Olasunkanmi Akomolehin, Annalú, Elisa Bertaglia, Janez Bogataj, Mario Branca, Eelco Brand, Paolo Campa, Daniele Cestari, Giacomo Cossio, Tereza Čapandova, Nina Čelhar, Marek Čihal, Natalija Črnčec, Jiri David, Nick Dawes, Ottorino De Lucchi, DengQiang, Dušan Fišer, Jernej Forbici, Pavel Forman, Letizia Fornasieri, Gan Lin, Tommaso Giusti, Rok Golob, Gabriele Grones, Anja Jerčič Jakob, Petra Kapš, Rusudan Khizanishvili, Krištof Kintera, Franziska Klotz, Tomaš Koudela, Gašper Kunšič, Maurizio L’Altrella, Matthias Langer , Tanja Lažetić, Chiara Lecca, Gani Llalloshi, Martin Mainer, Lara Jeranko Marconi, Matteo Massagrande, Manfred Moorkamp, Tilyen Mucik, Ondrash & Kašpárek, Giuseppe Perina, Silvio Porzionato, Marek Schovanek, Luzia Simons, Rafel Košec Tekavc, Ukn Lee, Xue Feng, Yang Bo, Yu Chunna, Ye Youtian, Zhong Yuanbo.

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