Mizzart in Strip Core: proto street art na Slovenskem

The art collectives Mizzart and Strip Core pra­cticed original artistic practices in the Slovenian public space in the 1980s and 1990s. They both have gained public recognition at home and ab­road. The publication represents the first compre­hensive academic coverage of their artistic practi­ces, labeling them »proto street art«.

The term »proto street art« as a material and ideological category represents a novelty in the field of academic research of graffiti and »street art«. The monography theoretically derives from Rafael Schacter's classification and proposed pe­riodization of the »street art« as an artistic peri­od from 1998-2008. The definition of the term »proto street art« is original and it consists of the key elements: time frame of the activity, perfor­mers, spontaneity/sovereignty, iconography, loca­tion specificity, non-profitability and interaction with the public.

The socio-historical background of the re­search in the publication outlines the stages of the development of hardcore in Slovenia, backed with the testimonies of its pioneers. At the same time, it describes the development of the Auto­nomous Cultural Center of Metelkova, starting with the occupation of the abandoned army complex and progressing to the creation of the »Gesamtkunst«. Mizzart and Strip Core created a unique le­gacy of ephemeral urban heritage in Slovenia and Europe simultaneously with the global trends. An extensive part of the collectives’ artistic archive is shown in the publication for the first time ever.