founded in 1983, Ljubljana
www.nskstate.com/irwin
Artist group IRWIN, has been working with various media since 1983, ranging from painting to public art, sculptural works and installations, to publishing; realising the syncretic coexistence of various artistic styles from the tradition of the historical avantgardes, to popular national imagery, to the visual production of totalitarian regimes. Educated in the former Yugoslavia, IRWIN are now based in Slovenia and have experienced a great change in their surrounding symbols of nationhood and social organisation. They have always exposed the inconsistencies inherent in all systems of belief. Their work is based on ‘retro principle’ and combines different motifs, symbols and signs from politics and art. Together with NSK, (Neue Slowenische Kunst), IRWIN established the NSK State in Time. Some of IRWIN’s most important activities have included the planning of the NSK Embassies and Consulates in Moscow, Ghent and Florence, and the Transnacionala project (Journey from East to West Coast) in 1996. IRWIN has exhibited widely in Europe and the USA, including 'Manifesta 1' in Rotterdam (1996), 50th Venice Biennial (1993), 'After the Wall', Moderna Museet, Stockholm (1999). Art works by IRWIN are included in many public collections including that of the Museum of Modern Art, New York. A major retrospective of their work was realised in 2003 in institutions around Europe, and in 2006, they were the editors of the publication 'East Art Map'.