34 authors of the Maribor Photo Club take part in this year’s club exhibition. The common point of the exhibited photographs is the minimalism that only appeared in photography in the 1990s. The members of the Photo Club Maribor tried to achieve it in different ways, some with color stripping, others with motivation. The recurring elements of the furrows on the Cizelj Field provide an example of the landscape; the sequence is also noticed on the motif of architecture, the construction of the bridge, which was mystically taken into the lens by Bojan Hajdu. In addition to the repetition of patterns, minimalism is also shown by the exposed element, which is also illustrated by Jože Marinič. Thus, only a small snippet gives the whole story or impression of the photographer. Despite its monotony, the smaller details add more meaning to the overall picture, as shown by the award-winning photograph by Zdenko Frangež. He built the composition with basic elements of minimalism, such as geometric figures, a play of light, a contrast between the tenderness of a woman’s body and the saturation of white and black. Even though the naked body is represented, the author has shattered the classical notion of the act.
The members of the Photo Club Maribor had different ideas under the broad concept of minimalism, which is evident in the heterogeneity of the exhibition, which in no way affects the quality, but rather shows a broad concept with several angles.
The beginnings of minimalism go back to the 1960s. At first, these were simplistic, rigorous sculptural works that were produced under the influence of abstract expressionism. The works of art represent a rebellion against America’s obsession with the European tradition, and are often made up of many repetitive, unified elements from industrial materials. Each element of the artwork can also be presented individually and at the same time it is still a whole, since the construction of the artwork is a multiplication of the basic unit. Minimalists believe that basic forms, such as a square, rectangle, or circle, arouse certain emotions in the viewer, and their works often involve the visitor of the exhibition even more with their asceticism.
In Slovenia, attempts at minimalism began to occur almost simultaneously. Their expression also represented simplified geometric shapes, which in our area were a symbol of planned, optimistic renewal, which is in line with the development of socialism and the social climate in Yugoslavia. The emergence of minimalism can also be linked to the two artistic groups of the Neoconstructivists (active activity: 1968-1972) and OHO (active activity: 1966-1971).