Banksy After Banksy: a day trip from Ljubljana to Kranj

Are you in for some day trips from Ljubljana? We have a hint for you. Two years after the exhibition of Banksy’s artworks in Kranj, a old medieval town 20 kilometers away from Ljubljana, Alternative Ljubljana and Layer House are organizing a local graffiti tour as part of The Youth Week Festival. The cultural anthropologist and founder of Alternative Ljubljana will explain the background of paintings, inscriptions and interventions on the streets and walls of the cultural quarter in Kranj. The guided city tour will focus on the present and past graphic and other street creativity in the city center. Banksy, OKO and many of the local street artists will keep us company during the alternative tour. Come and join us!

Facebook event.

When: Tuesday 15th May at 18:00
Meeting point: Slovenian Square, 4000 Kranj (by the model of the city)
Ending point: Layer House (Tomšičeva ulica 32, 4000 Kranj)
Language: Slovenian
Price: donation-based

Organized by: The Institute for Urban Questions / Alternative Ljubljana in collaboration with Layer House.

ABOUT LAYER HOUSE
Layer House is an urban cultural art centre in Kranj, Slovenia. Established in 2011 and named after the baroque painter Leopold Layer the House proudly carries on his name and work.

Layer House is a lively cultural centre managed by an NGO Zavod Carnica that organizes various art/music/film events runs a lovely coffee house.

Layer House – the house of artists – is a hub of cultural and social life in the capital of Gorenjska region. It is located in the town centre of Kranj, next to the Škrlovec tower and close to the Khislstein castle. The house and its surroundings have already brought a lot of dynamics into the Tomšič Street, which is slowly tuning into the cultural quarter of Kranj. Art, music, creativity, education and a pleasant café have a vibrant life here all year round. All these activities are combined into a distinctive whole by a unifying philosophy, a professional and creative approach to the content and its execution, in an honest wish for synergy and a cultural get-together, with a heartfelt dedication to work, an active commitment, a love towards the town of Kranj and a friendly attitude towards people.

Who’s Layer?

LEOPOLD LAYER was born on 20 November 1752 as one of eight children to Ana Marija Egartner from Carinthia and the painter Marko Layer from Kranj. Painting was a family tradition for generations and at that time their workshop was lead by his grandfather Josip and also Leopold’s younger brothers, Valentin and Anton, worked there. After Leopold’s death on 12 April 1828, the workshop was taken over by his adoptive son, Jožef Egartner, succeeded by his son, Jožef Junior. Leopold Layer was one of the most important Slovenian late Baroque painters and has created an exceptionally large opus. He was a skilful painter, especially fond of folk motifs, and in the 19th century almost every house in Kranj could boast having one of his paintings. His most famous work today is the merciful icon of Mary Help of Christians in the pilgrimage chapel of Brezje. In 1808, Leopold lost his father and a year later, Napoleon’s army marched into this land and declared it a part of the Illyrian Provinces. Due to the general lack of financial resources in that time, the talented Layers started to apply the technique of pen drawing to copy Austrian paper banknotes in the value of 10 and 50 guldens. The brothers Valentin and Leopold, his wife and their maid were arrested on 28th June 1810. Valentin died in the town prison and their house and painter’s workshop burnt down during a severe fire in 1811, before Leopold was released in 1813. The house has been renovated and is now, more than 200 years later, again sparkling with ideas. Its walls, arches and arcades are alive with the spirit of history, combined with the creative energy of today.

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