Dušan Pirih Hup from the Collection of the International Centre of Graphic Arts Istanbul – Isfahan

Dušan Pirih Hup, Istanbul - Haberler, 1992/93, print, 53 x 79 cm / ©MGLC

Dušan Pirih Hup – renowned as one of the most striking figures on the Ljubljana art scene – was actively involved in art from the 1970s. The areas of his activity included painting, photography, spatial and sound projects, theatre and, after 1995, almost exclusively photography, photomontage and the transfer of photography into the graphic medium. He was a member of the Union of Slovene Fine Arts Associations (ZDSLU), a founding member of TDS Equrna, a member of the Predrazpadom (Before-the-Breakup) street theatre, Papa Kinjal Banda, he participated in the Hidrogizma project as well as the Ana Monró Theatre. He established the Photographic Workshop at KUD France Prešeren in Ljubljana and was the author of several photography education programmes.

Dušan Pirih Hup, Haydarpasa, 1992, Print, 54 x 80,5 cm / ©MGLC

Already from the outset, Dušan Pirih Hup devoted himself to painting and photography alternately, whereas his focus of the last fifteen years was set primarily on expressing himself through the photographic image and its transfer into contemporary graphic techniques. After 1993 he used computer technology in the production of his work. In the field of photography, Hup was active as a researcher adding a new dimension to the medium. When shooting, he exclusively used a single lens of his own design. He created a number of digital and digitized photographs, photocopy prints and ink jet prints by using this approach. He published his works in the form of visual, textual and audio web editions. He wrote about the process of upgrading his photographs with printmaking, of the fact that he repeatedly strove to achieve that perfect copy, and spoke about his prints with confidence: seeing them as the works of a mature artist. Hup was of course creatively active at a time that was intensely characterized by the mass use of new photocopying techniques, the relationship between the original and the copy, the issues of the far-reaching implications and effects of the separation between the creator's "handiwork" and the technical implementation of the project.

Dušan Pirih Hup, Isfahan, Šah Abas – visitors, 1997, Print, 26 x 38 cm / ©MGLC

Dušan Pirih Hup was a sworn figurative artist. The exhibited works are a subtle record of the events of everyday life and scenes that are typical for the cities of the Middle East: the hustle and bustle of transport, ports, railway stations, street trading, parks, rest areas, tea rooms, washrooms, oratories, wells and fountains, fences, walkways, entrances to buildings, etc. His photographic/graphic works surpass the basic function of documenting events; they appear visually powerful and timeless.

The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue that provides an overview of the exhibited works and an accompanying text by dr. Primož Lampič. It was edited by the exhibition curator, mag. Breda Škrjanec.