Foto: KID KIBLA/Damjan Švarc
We are saddened by the news of the passing of Aleksandra Kostič, one of the most prominent figures in the field of reflection on contemporary visual art in Slovenia. Kostič was an exceptionally all-around art historian, curator, art critic, and editor. Soon after graduation she went to work for the Maribor Art Gallery (UGM). Her professional vision, innovativeness, and connectivity found most immediate expression through her work at the Maribor-based KID Kibla (Cultural and Education Association Kibla), which she co-founded and ran. There she organized, coordinated, and headed numerous notable international projects and festivals at the intersection of art and technology, contributing considerably to the recognition of Slovenian artists in Europe and globally. Kostič last collaborated with Moderna galerija at the occasion of the 59th edition of La Biennale di Venezia as a magnanimous mediator between the artist and the institution and as an insightful expert on Marko Jakše’s oeuvre. She wrote a subtle and profound text for the catalogue, entitled Selfless, in which she brought together her expertise and an emotional take on Jakše’s painting Convalescence, all the more striking today, in view of the illness she was battling with. Her text is available in full here.
