Introduction

At the end of the twentieth century and the second millennium we ask ourselves: What is our score? Did we really make everything within our reach to break the closeness, disconnection, sterility, and academism we currently witness in Slovenian and international art?

We can soothe our friends and families: even before the grand Jubilee we - the workers in culture as we are - have made contacts with the Geo-Art Statistics Research Institute of the Republic of Slovenia (RIGUSRS). What do we expect from this cooperation? You know that we live in the time of the crisis in art and science. However, the period of reaction is now retreating on account of sincere attention to multiculturalism and ethnic identities defined by state borders and their geographical situation.

We can immodestly claim that the RIGUSRS researches gave epochal results. We are pleased and excited about the fact that the direction of the Institute consented to the publication of the first texts precisely in the time of the Biennial of Young Artists of Mediterranean and Europe in Turin. A vigilant reader will be able to find in them the answer to the question which heretofore has occupied the greatest minds of this century without yielding any results!

Here I would like to acknowledge the efforts of the following diligent researchers: Vuk Cosic, Alenka Pirman, Irena Wölle, and their colleague Borut Brumen. In very arduous working conditions and an extremely short period they reached sensational results. The ŠKUC officials are exceptionally proud to have contributed to the birth of the new Theory on Slovenian Mediterranean Artist. In this connection we are specially grateful to Matjaz Bertoncelj, Jure Breceljnik, Aleš Car, Sanja Grcic, Tomaz Jastrobnik, Igor Kebel, Toni Kancilja, Damijan Kracina, Amir Muratović, the Fourklor and Heavy Les Wanted groups, Simon Stojko Falk, Nika Špan, Aleš Šteger, Irena Wölle & PDP, and the Le Coco Fruitwear manufacture, without whom the RIGUSRS research would not be possible.

Yes! Science and art will enter the next millennium hand in hand; and it is no accident that precisely ŠKUC and RIGUSRS have been among the first to start the common route.

Joško Pajer
President of the ŠKUC Association