Aleksandra Vajd in Anetta Mona Chişa: Tar Star

The exhibition Tar Star by Aleksandra Vajd and Anetta Mona Chişa explores photography as a process that transcends human creativity, revealing itself in the interconnections of light, matter, and technology embedded in planetary ecological and energy cycles. The intertwining of cables, bitumen, light, and images of the sun weaves a symbolic and material narrative about the dual nature of technology and the profound interdependence of nature, humanity, and non-human forces.

In addition to a conversation between the curator and the artists, Lukáš Likavčan’s essay The Sun Is a Burning River in the Sky, and photographic documentation by Blaž Gutman and Aleksandra Vajd, the exhibition catalogue also offers insight into a wealth of research material, drawings, and sketches (some produced with the use of artificial intelligence).

The catalogue is wrapped in a fluorescent dust jacket that unfolds into a poster of the solar corona and its energetic fields, extending the exhibition’s narrative beyond the catalogue itself. Featuring four different types of paper, the publication is further distinguished by gradient transitions on the cover in the hues of sunrise and sunset, lending it a distinctive visual character.

Published by Museum and Galleries of Ljubljana / Cukrarna Represented by: Blaž Peršin
Cukrarna Gallery represented by: Alenka Gregorič
Editor: Tjaša Pogačar
Text: Lukáš Likavčan
Conversation with the artists: Tjaša Pogačar
Slovenian translation: Miha Šuštar, Katarina Mahnič
Slovene language editing: Miha Šuštar
English language editing: Miha Šuštar
Installation view photos: Blaž Gutman (pp. 33–51)
Photos: Aleksandra Vajd and Anetta Mona Chişa (pp. 53–96)
Digital images on the covers: Aleksandra Vajd and Anetta Mona Chişa, Rayleigh Scattering (2025)
Design and layout: Ajdin Bašić
Printed by: Cicero d.o.o., Ljubljana
Print run: 300
Number of pages: 112
June 2025