A Fresh Vision for the IZIS Festival: Introducing the New Curator, Irena Borić

Date: 6. 6. 2024

Koper – The IZIS Intermedia Art Festival is entering a new era. We are delighted to introduce our new curator, Irena Borić, whose innovation and extensive experience will shape the festival’s curatorial program for the next three editions.

Borić brings to IZIS a critical reflection on contemporary "techno-modernity" and a firm belief that art must cross its own boundaries to truly understand and address the challenges of today’s world.

Art as an Interface and a Space for Thought

For Irena, art is not merely an aesthetic object but a vital interface that establishes relationships with our daily lives. As she emphasizes, the frameworks of contemporary art are often too narrow; therefore, art must necessarily intertwine with other disciplines and media. Her vision for IZIS is clear: she sees the festival as an intermedia platform that—in a critical yet playful manner—draws attention to the systems operating in the background, refusing to simply follow popular thematic trends.

Why IZIS?

"The IZIS Festival is one of the key festivals that prioritizes how we think about intermedia art. At the same time, I appreciate its unique positioning and consistency," says Irena, who became closely acquainted with the festival through her collaboration on the RUK project. She views this multi-year collaboration as an opportunity to create new symbioses that will enrich both the festival and her own curatorial practice.

Inspiration on the Edge of the World

In designing the upcoming editions, Irena is guided by the thought of writer Ursula K. Le Guin: that to find and create a new world, one must first "lose" the old one and dance at the edge of things. It is precisely this edge—the intersection of technology, society, and art—that the IZIS Festival will explore under her leadership.

The team looks forward to this co-creation and the fresh energy that Irena brings to the coastal intermedia art scene.

Welcome, Irena!

Read the short interview here: https://www.pina.si/nova-kuratorka-festivala-izis/