Slovenia's Tactile Gallery Lets Visitors Touch Munch and Hokusai
In Slovenia, a groundbreaking exhibition titled 'Tactile Gallery. Art Beyond the Visible' invites attendees to engage with famous pieces such as Edvard Munch's 'The Scream' and Hokusai's 'The Great Wave off Kanagawa' through touch. Curated by David Kožuh, this unique experience is hosted at the Mercator Center in Nova Gorica and will be open until December 31, 2026. As Slovenia's first tactile gallery, it was developed in partnership with Goriški muzej, the Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired of Nova Gorica, and KUD Artes. Seventeen contemporary artists, including Roberto Cantarutti and Tea Curk Sorta, contributed new tactile works. The exhibition is divided into two parts: 'The Existing World' and 'The Emerging World', featuring advanced accessibility options, and is part of the GO! 2025 European Capital of Culture initiative.
Key facts
- Exhibition 'Tactile Gallery. Art Beyond the Visible' runs until December 31, 2026.
- Curated by David Kožuh at the Mercator Center in Nova Gorica, Slovenia.
- First tactile gallery in Slovenia, collaboration between Goriški muzej, Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired of Nova Gorica, and KUD Artes.
- Project started in 2023, inspired by international practices and collaboration with Museo Omero (Ancona) and Museo Anteros (Bologna).
- 17 contemporary artists created works for touch, including Roberto Cantarutti, Tea Curk Sorta, Boštjan Drinovec, and others.
- Features tactile reproductions of iconic works like Munch's 'The Scream' and Hokusai's 'The Great Wave'.
- Includes a 3D reproduction of the Solomon's Knot mosaic from Aquileia Basilica, made with Fondazione Società per la Conservazione della Basilica di Aquileia and Gruppo Mosaicisti di Ravenna.
- Part of GO! 2025 European Capital of Culture program.
- Exhibition is held in a shopping center, highlighting accessibility.
- Uses innovative technologies like audio description and sonification.
Entities
Artists
- David Kožuh
- Roberto Cantarutti
- Tea Curk Sorta
- Alfred De Locatelli
- Boštjan Drinovec
- Arianna Gasperina
- Giulia Iacolutti
- Boštjan Kavčič
- Damjan Komel
- Damijan Kracina
- Peter Mignozzi
- Bruno Paladin
- Primož Pugelj
- Zora Stančič
- Lara Steffe
- Nika Šimac
- Jože Šubic
- Boris Zaplatil
- Zdenko Kalin
- Edvard Munch
- Katsushika Hokusai
- Mirella Gavioli
- Monica Rusinov
- Peter Rot
Institutions
- Goriški muzej
- Associazione dei Ciechi e degli Ipovedenti di Nova Gorica
- KUD Artes
- Museo Omero
- Museo Anteros
- Mercator Center
- Fondazione Società per la Conservazione della Basilica di Aquileia
- Gruppo Mosaicisti di Ravenna
- Unione Italiana dei Ciechi e degli Ipovedenti di Mantova
- Associazione Ciechi per caso di Gorizia
Locations
- Slovenia
- Nova Gorica
- Italy
- Ancona
- Bologna
- Aquileia
- Ravenna
- Mantova
- Gorizia