Maska Institute for Publishing, Culture and Production

Maska is a non-profit organization for publishing, production (performances, interdisciplinary and visual art works), education and research. In recent years, it has strengthened both the local and international performing arts scene as one of the rare organizations which also affirms theoretical and artistic creation. There for Maska invests in the production of artistic creations, which reflect upon and find themselves among contemporary theatre currents. Maska Productions produces performances and other artistic events by innovative, exploring artists as well as first projects of the youngest generation, such as Janez Janša, Irena Tomažin, Alix Eynaudi, Alice Chauchat, Magda Reiter, Rok Vevar, Mare Bulc and others. Through its history Maska has – in all areas of its activity – directly affected cultural and political space. The organization’s beginnings are connected with the performing arts journal Maska, which has stumbled upon numerous obstacles through its evolution; it has persevered in spite of these challenges and several counter movements. Maska was the publication that in the early 1920s offered the Slovenian theatrical space a patronage for freethinking and writings on different views upon theatre. The journal has opened the space for theatre critics, producers, and their new praxes, and so with persistence and consistency has furthered its purpose and the quality of professional publications. Today Maska journal is published in three double issues a year, each issue dedicated to one specific topic. Apart from articles related to chosen topics, the journal also includes interviews with artists and theoreticians, reviews of performances and books, articles on the hidden phenomena in contemporary performing arts, research findings etc. Book series TRANSformacije, profiled as a field of contemporary reflection on performing arts, including works by Slovene authors as well as translations of distinguished titles in the field and Mediakcije, profiled as a field of critical writings on media culture and society, are the foundations of the Maska publishing programme. The field of reflection comprises the broadest area of contemporary performing arts, from theatre, contemporary dance and new ballet to performance, multimedia and new-media art. Among latest titles are: Nicolas Bourriaud, Relational Aesthetics and Postproduction, Inke Arns, Avantgarde in the Rearwindow Mirror, Bojana Kunst, Petra Pogorevc (ed.), Contemporary Performing Arts, New Watchdogs, by Serge Halimi, Armand Mattelart, How to Read Donald Duck and more. With its educational seminars of Contemporary Performing Arts and carefully selected interdisciplinary critical theory, Maska understands and analyses itself and the position of art. Seminar is all year programme, with lectures by internationally acclaimed scholars, artists and writers. Other seminar activities include organization of lectures, talks, debates, workshops etc. Through that Maska does not forget the importance of the historical perspectives within the theatre and the unavoidable transformation of society. There for we have organized many conferences on theory and contemporary art as well as public debates on cultural politics. Our lecturers and students are involved in many European conferences and seminars which demands from Maska big responsibility and also reminds us of the fact that Maska must not become yet another among the masked images of the global cultural sell-out.

Source: Maska