Svetlana Slapšak
Svetlana Slapšak is a Slovenian anthropologist, historian and writer of Serbian origin, eminent for her interdisciplinary expertise and commitment to human rights and cultural studies. Her contribution to the book that accompanies the exhibition The Oracle: On Fantasy and Freedom, published by Sternberg Press, revolves around a particular event: the country facing an ideologically divisive campaign after its largest political party collected a sufficient number of signatures to call a referendum on a bill proposing special pension allowances for meritorious artists, replacing the provisions outlined in a 50-year-old law. Slapšak links this targeted attack on artists' acquired rights to the current state of democracy, drawing on her lifelong activism, especially from the 1960s, and advocating for freedom of expression and human rights. In her writing and activist work, she emphasises that individual freedoms must be sacrosanct in democracy, and there can be no place for censorship or oppression based on ideology, ethnicity or gender.
She also argues that artists, as contributors to the cultural life and intellectual fabric of society, should be adequately supported and provided with adequate financial security throughout their careers and after retirement. Artists and intellectuals are very vulnerable and often suffer economic hardship, especially as they grow older, due to the transient nature of their work and the lack of traditional employment structures. She connects her advocacy for artists' rights with a broader understanding of political and social responsibility. Governments and institutions have a duty to support cultural workers with social protection such as pensions. This protection is necessary not only as a matter of fairness, but also to preserve the independence of artists who would otherwise be dependent on more commercially-driven support systems that could restrict their creative freedom.
Among her most prominent books are Ženske ikone antičkog sveta (Women Icons of the Ancient World) (2006), which focuses on women in the ancient world; Zelje in spolnost (Cabbage and Sexuality) (2013), a semi-satire that examines the symbolic and gendered roles of food, using cabbage as a point of departure; and Antička miturgija: žene (Ancient Mythurgy: Women) (2013), exploring women's roles in ancient myths. She is also the author of several novels, including Škola za delikatne ljubavnike (School for Delicate Lovers) (2018), set in Athens during 1974 during the fall of the military junta; Moj mačkoljubivi život (My Cat-Loving Life) (2021), a semi-autobiographical text blending personal narratives with reflections on historical events through the lens of the author's affection for cats; and her most recent novel, Kje smo? Ljubljanski steganogram (Where Are We? A Ljubljana Steganogram) (2024), an encyclopaedic work that deconstructs various literary genres and features dialogues with historical and intimate figures. Through the author's voice, these characters narrate their stories on how they ended up in Ljubljana, how the city transformed them, and how they, in turn, left their mark on Ljubljana.
