In my master's thesis, I examine the exhibition project Atelier 69. Conceptualised by the renowned Slovenian poet and art historian Tomaž Šalamun, it took place between March and May 1969 at the Modern Gallery in Ljubljana in collaboration with the OHO Group and in Kranj, where Šalamun had his solo exhibition. The beginnings of the Atelier exhibition project that Atelier 69 is a part of date back to 1967 when Tomaž Šalamun convinced Zoran Kržišnik, the director of the Modern Gallery, to allow the OHO Group the use of the exhibition space in the gallery's basement. Kržišnik used the opportunity to realise his idea of exhibiting young, unestablished artists, leading to the first Atelier exhibitions in 1968. I focus on how the Atelier 69 exhibitions and the conceptual plan for them came to be and the role that Tomaž Šalamun, OHO Group and the Modern Gallery played in it. Through the examination of the archival and newspaper records, I show how the exhibitions of the Atelier 68 and Atelier 69 developed and how the public reacted to them. I place the exhibitions in the context of the contemporary neo-avant-garde movements. I place the most focus on the exhibitions of Arte Povera artists since Tomaž Šalamun spent a part of the year in 1968 in Italy, where he came into contact with Arte Povera. I also mention the influence of conceptual art and neo-dada and draw parallels with the contemporary development of avant-garde theatre. Master's thesis fills the gap in the exploration of the collaboration between Tomaž Šalamun and the OHO Group and the impact that Arte Povera has had on their work. I also point to the positive relationship Tomaž Šalamun had with Zoran Kržišnik and the Modern Gallery as well as exploring the generally positive response that the public and critics had to Tomaž Šalamun's and OHO Group's work.
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