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Urša Prek (1993) is driven by a curiosity to find out what makes us who we are. In this process she specifically focuses on the relationship between her own memory and history. After all, imagination plays a major role in constructions from the past. Prek was born in Slovenia, two years after the country had declared itself an independent republic. She therefore did not experience the preceding Yugoslavian era first hand. Having only heard about this history indirectly, she wonders to what extent these inherited memories shaped her, using her work to explore how this relates to her personal identity.
Her monumental installation Glory Days (2025) also incorporates the country’s collective memory. On the basis of its overwhelming, brutalist, post-war monuments, she investigates nostalgic recollections of former Yugoslavia. Once part of Yugoslavia’s territory, Slovenia shares a socialist legacy that continues to divide the nation. For some this legacy evokes a sense of idealized nostalgia, while for others it represents a traumatic past. Prek is very much interested in the resulting social polarization. ‘These ambiguous memories of the same events inspire me to delve deeper into the fluidity of the memory and history.’ Glory Days could well be interpreted as an ironic monument, a memorial that transcends time and asks which stories we should believe. It also raises questions about the roles of collective history and personal identity, searching for answers in unrecorded data.
Text: Esther Darley
Translated from Dutch by Marie Louise Schoondergang (The Art of Translation)