Labin(origin) Art(means) Express(way)
Labin Art Express (L.A.E.) is an independent underground (based in the ex-coal mine) cultural and art association from Labin, Istria, Croatia, officially founded in 1991, by a dozen of people of various professions but with a same interest: promotion and production of alternative art and culture. In 1993 L.A.E. established Radio L.A.E., the first independent radio station in Croatia, closed by governmental decision in 1996. CC“Lamparna”, the first independent multifunctional cultural centre in Croatia, situated in abandoned building of the ex-coal mine in Labin, was opened in September 1998, as the first step in realization of “Underground City XXI” - establishment of a real futuristic underground town in abandoned tunnels and halls of ex-coal mine in Labin, 150 m below ground, with streets, bars, restaurants, galleries, children play-ground, swimming pool, Museum of Coal Mining, “red light” district, City Hall, Mayor, police....etc. It will have a status of independent and free town which will be governed by L.A.E. “UndergroundCity” is an integral part of the most important project of L.A.E.: HERO XXI - conception and birth of L.A.E. child-god-artist. Since 1992 L.A.E. organized hundreds of exhibitions, concerts, performances, workshops, festivals (TRANSART) and other events, published a few music&video CD’s, books, etc. and participated in some leading international exhibitions, festivals and other events (EXPO’98, Cultural Capital of Europe’96 & ‘00, Essl Sammlung, Kunsthalle Wien,…).
L.A.E. is not a clannish group of artists whose creativity is esoteric, but an exoteric cultural and art association that takes into its order all artists and “non-artists” who share the fundamental assumptions of participating in the artistic process presented in the artistic credo of L.A.E.: “ L.A.E. will support everything that is alternative, underground and off. It will promote and produce work of individuals and groups who believe in idea that art today must be: young, all-encompassing, universal, modern, fierce, moral, and synthetical.”
Labin (izvorište) Art (sredstvo) Express (način)
Labin Art Express(L.A.E.), nezavisna podzemna (smještena u bivšem rudniku) kulturno-umjetnička udruga iz Labina, Istra, RH, službeno je osnovana 1991.g. od strane desetak ljudi raznih profesija, ali istovjetnih interesa: proizvodnja i promocija alternativne kulture i umjetnosti. 1993. L.A.E. osniva Radio L.A.E., prvu nezavisnu radijsku postaju u RH koja 1996.g. biva silom zatvorena odlukem vlade. 1998.g. otvoren je Kulturni centar “Lamparna”, prvi nezavisni multifunkcionalni kulturni centar u Hrvatskoj, smješten u zgradama bivšeg rudnika u Labinu, kao prvi korak u realizaciji projekta “Podzemni grad XXI”- osnivanje pravog, futurističkog podzemnog grada u napuštenim tunelima i dvoranama labinskog rudnika uglja isklesanim u stijeni, 150 m ispod površine zemlje, s ulicama, barovima, restoranima, galerijama, igralištima za djecu, bazenom, trgovinama, kockarnicama.....Muzejem rudarstva i industrije Istre, “crvenom” četvrti,… gradonačelnikom, policijom…itd. Imati će status nezavisnog i slobodnog grada kojim će upravljati L.A.E. “Podzemni grad XXI” integralni je dio najvažnijeg L.A.E. projekta: HEROJ XXI – začeće I rođenje L.A.E. djeteta-boga-umjetnika. Od 1992. L.A.E. je organizirao i producirao na stotine izložbi, koncerata, predstava, radionica, festivala (TRANSART) i drugih događaja, izdao je nekoliko glazbenih&video CD-a, knjiga, itd. te je učestvovao na nekoliko najvažnijih međunarodnih izložbi, festivala i drugih manifestacija ((EXPO’98, Cultural Capital of Europe ’94, ’96 & ‘00, Essl Sammlung, Kunsthalle Wien,…).
L.A.E. nije zatvorena grupa umjetnika čije je stvaralaštvo endogeno, već je egzogena skupina koja u svoje redove prima sve umjetnike i ne-umjetnike koji s njima dijele temeljne pretpostavke sudjelovanja u umjetničkom procesu, predstavljene u njihovom umjetničkom credu:
“L.A.E. podržava sva alternativna, underground i off događanja. Promovirati će sve one pojedince, grupe i projekte koji se u svom radu vode načelom da umjetnost danas mora biti : mlada, sveobuhvatna, moderna, surova, moralna i sintetična.”
Labin Art Express, Rudarska 1, 52220 Labin, Croatia; tel/fax:+385.52.857041;
Dean Zahtila – rođen u Labinu, RH; 1980.g. diplomirao na Fakultetu za vanjsku trgovinu u Zagrebu; 1984.god otvara u Labinu RE galeriju, jednu od prvih privatnih umjetničkih galerija u bivšoj Jugoslaviji; 1991.g. zajedno s kiparom i pomorcem Krešimirom Farkašem osniva kulturno-umjetničko društvo (od 1998. udruga) Labin Art Express čiji je predsjednik od osnivanja do danas; od 1993.-1996. direktor je Radija L.A.E. prve potpuno nezavisne radijske postaje u RH; 1994.g. s Massimom Savićem i Krešimirom Farkašem osniva multimedijalnu grupu Metal Guru, jednu od frakcija Labin Art Expressa, te se počinje baviti glazbom, videom, instalacijama, konceptualnom umjetnošću i gastronomijom; direktor je KuC-a ”Lamparna” od njenog otvorenja 1998.g. do danas; 1998.g. dobiva počasnu funkciju “kulturnog promotora” Istarske županije te je inicijator milenijskog županijskog projekta “Podzemni grad XXI”Labin. Posljednjih godina usko je surađivao s proslavljenim, nedavno preminulim kustosom Haraldom Szeemannom (npr. izložba “Krv med”, Essl Sammlung, Beč). Uz Krešimira Farkaša autor je svih umjetničkih radova te drugih akcija i projekata Labin Art Expressa i Metal Gurua s kojima je izlagao i nastupao diljem Evrope (Ljubljana, Amsterdam, Graz, Lisabon, Copenhagen, Marseille, Beograd, Sarajevo, Bregenz, Beč, Bruxelles...... ) te sudjelovao na nekoliko najvećih europskih kulturnih manifestacija (Cultural Capital of Europe-1994,1996, 2000; EXPO’98,....).
Dean Zahtila – born in Labin, Republic of Croatia; in 1980 graduated economy at the Faculty of Foreign Trade - University of Zagreb; in 1984 he established RE gallery, one of the first private art galleries in ex-Yugoslavia. In 1991 together with sculptor and sailor Krešimir Farkaš he established Labin Art Express (L.A.E.), the first independent cultural & art society (from 1998 association) in Croatia and remained its President until today; from 1993-1996 he was Director of Radio L.A.E., the first independent radio station in Croatia and in 1993, together with Krešimir Farkaš & musician Massimo Savić, he established art group Metal Guru, an art fraction of L.A.E.. In 1995/1996 he was attending European Diploma in Cultural Projects Management; from 1998 he is Director of the multifunctional Cultural Centre “Lamparna” and honorable Cultural Promoter of the Region of Istria. He is initiator and leader of the regional millennium project “Underground City XXI”. Recently he has been cooperating with famous curator Harald Szeemann (exhibition Blood & Honey, Essl Sammlung, Vienna, 2003). Together with Krešimir Farkaš he is author of all L.A.E’s and Metal Guru works and projects. With Metal Guru and L.A.E. he was exhibiting and performing all over Europe (Laibach, Amsterdam, Graz, Lisabon, Stutgart, Belgrade, Sarajevo, Copenhagen, Marseille, Bregenz, Vienna, Bruxelles...... ) and participating in some leading European cultural festivals and events (Cultural Capital of Europe-1994,1996, 2000; EXPO’98, etc.).
Xena L. Županić- foto-model, glumica i multimedijalna umjetnica rođena je u Labinu (RH), diplomirala filozofiju i povijest umjetnosti na Filozofskom fakultetu u Zadru, glumu i scenografiju na Scuola di Recitazione “Quelli di Grock”, Milano, te glumu na Accademia d’Arte Drammatica di Milano. Bavila se modom (HERMETIKA vlastita modna kuća) i sudjelovala u revijama modnih velikana poput: J. P. Gautier, Lacroix, Versace, T. Mugler, J. Galliano, Miyake,…. Igrala je u kazalištu (“Salome”, “Revizor”, “Magbeth”, “Tri sestre”, “Taci”….u Ljubljani, Zagrebu, Budimpešti, Milanu, Rimu, Genovi, Luganu,….), filmovima (“Nirvana” G. Salvatores kao i s redateljima: Dino Risi, Dario Argento, Marco Ferreri, i dr. + vlastiti filmovi s D. Mažuranom ). Osim s H. Newtonom radila je s majstorima fotografije kao što su Scheichenbauer, A. Springs, G. Morganti, P. Lindbergh, Ivan Posavec,…… Posljednjih godina izvodi vlastite performanse te realizira brojne interaktivne instalacije (za TDK, Quadriennale d’Arte Moderna Roma, TECHNE 01/02, Milano,…), osnovala je i vodila kulturni centar Ludiialydis u Milanu. Od 2002.g. član je Labin Art Expressa (L.A.E.) i njegove umjetničke frakcije Metal Guru. Trenutno radi na talijanskoj TV postaji LA 7, emisija “Markette”
Xena L. Zupanic – model, actress, multimedia artist, born in Labin, Republic of Croatia, graduated philosophy and history of art at the University of Philosophy in Zadar (CRO), studying acting and scenography in Milan (I) (Accademia d’Arte Drammatica di Milano, Scuola di Recitazione “Quelli di Grock”, Milano); for many years present in fashion industry (own label HERMETIKA and as a model forJ. P. Gautier, Lacroix, Versace, T. Mugler, Galiano, Miyake,...), being also as a photo-model (Helmut Newton, Franco Scheishenbauer, A. Springs, Ivan Posavec,…..). Recently she has been more engaged with acting in theatre ((“Salome”, “Party Time”, “Magbeth”, “Three sisters”, “Taci”….in Ljubljana, Zagreb, Budapest, Milan, Rom, Genova, Lugano,…) and film (“Nirvana” G. Salvatores, and with Dino Risi, Dario Argento, Marco Ferreri,…. + own films with D. Mažuran …) as well as doing her own performances, video works and interactive installations (for TDK, Quadriennale d’Arte Moderna Roma, TECHNE 01/02, Milano,…), etc.; she was founder and artistic director of Cultural Centre “Ludiialydis” in Milan (Italy); Since 2002 member of cultural&art association Labin Art Express (L.A.E.) and art group Metal Guru, a fraction of L.A.E.. Living in Milan and presently working as a performer in TV show “Markette” for Italian TV channel La7.
Recentni zajednički realizirani projekti (kao L.A.E. ili Metal Guru):
1. Performance “Spomenik Heroju 21. stoljeća” (Metal Guru)- Labin/Dan rudara, ožujak 2002. i Zagreb/Gliptoteka HAZU, listopad 2003.;
2. Projekt BUM (L.A.E.) - izložba “Blood & Honey”, kustos Harald Szeemann, Essl Sammlung Beč, svibanj 2003.;
3. Akcija “Glasajte za BUM” (L.A.E.) - Labin, Pula, Zagreb, studeni 2003;
4. Performance “Balkan ni na nebu, ni na zemlji” (L.A.E.) - Tanzquartier Beč, rujan 2003.
5. Performance “U-BITI” (L.A.E.), festival EUROKAZ Zagreb, lipanj 2005.
Trenutno zajedno rade na kratkom filmu “Začeće”, znanstveno-umjetničkom projektu “Noordung-NASA-Pula” i novom CD-u Metal Gurua “Cold Black” (sve u produkciji L.A.E.)