Mount Triglav, 1968
Zvezda Park, Ljubljana, Slovenia
On December 30th, 1968, Milenko (middle head) invited his two friends to sit with him on a ladder for a few hours, covered in plastic tarp, to pretend to be the nearby three-peaked mountain - Mount Triglav (meaning: three heads), the symbol of Slovenia.
Unbeknownst to them, this piece that started off as a playful and humorous notion would become iconic in the Eastern European reactionary art scene, and was recently voted by art students as the most significant art work in Slovenian History. “Mount Triglav” inspired generations of artists, rebels and re-enactors. A competition of the best Triglav re-enactments was held 50 years after the first “exhibit” at Slovenia’s Museum of Contemporary Art.
Milenko Matanovic and David Nez, two founding members of the OHO Group, recount memories from their iconic "Happening" Triglav to mark the 52nd anniversary.
“I tried to tell anyone who would listen that the idea for Triglav—which means 'three heads'—was simple: it was late December just before the new year, and traditionally people give gifts to each other at that time of the year, so I thought of offering the people of Ljubljana, especially those too feeble or old to venture into the mountains, a gift by bringing the mountain to the city.”
-Milenko, from his interview with BETI ŽEROVC of Art Margins
Reenactments
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Like to Like: Irwin - OHO (2004)
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Janez Janša, Janez Janša, and Janez Janša: Mount Triglav on Mount Triglav, 2007
The Competition
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary, the Museum of Contemporary Art Metelkova in Ljubljana put out a call to recreate the famous happening.
The submissions are below. Learn more here.
