The group eventually broke up, but many of its members went on to have stellar careers. Slavoj Žižek became a world-famous philosopher, Tugo Sušnik emerged as one of Slovenia’s most respected artists, while Marko Pogačnik designed the flag of independent Slovenia. But their experimental zeal never again approached the levels of the 1960s and ‘70s, when OHO was at the forefront of the European avant-garde. Foto: BoBo
The group eventually broke up, but many of its members went on to have stellar careers. Slavoj Žižek became a world-famous philosopher, Tugo Sušnik emerged as one of Slovenia’s most respected artists, while Marko Pogačnik designed the flag of independent Slovenia. But their experimental zeal never again approached the levels of the 1960s and ‘70s, when OHO was at the forefront of the European avant-garde. Foto: BoBo

The increasingly liberal atmosphere in Yugoslavia at the time led many young people to find inspiration in the West, where avant-garde movements were in full swing. Three high school students -- Marjan Ciglič, Iztok Geister, and Marko Pogačnik – came up with a manifesto that called for a more democratic understanding of art and society, and they launched a magazine that would share their ideas with the wider world.

Their movement eventually grew into group known as OHO – a combination of the Slovenian words “oko” (eye) and “uho” (ear). The initial focus of the group was the embrace of reism -- a less human-focused approach to art, where everyday objects would be given greater prominence. They also tackled pop art – a novel genre for Yugoslavia at the time. Eventually, they embraced the Italian arte povera movement, which called for the liberation of art from all conventions.

But OHO – which eventually included thinkers and artists such as Tomaž Brejc, Matjaž Hanžek, Tomaž Šalamun, Rudi Šeligo, and Slavoj Žižek -- became most famous for its provocative performances. On one famous occasion, they recreated the summit of Triglav, Slovenia’s highest mountain and a national symbol, using human bodies. Some of their more tangible creations were even exhibited in New York’s MoMA in 1970. And according to former member Milenko Matanović, they did it all on a budget of around 25 U.S. dollars a month.

The members of OHO worked in all media – from paintings to photography --, but they received the most attention for their conceptual projects. Eventually, they increasingly gravitated toward ecological ideals and were becoming concerned about becoming a part of the establishment, so they set up a commune in the Vipava Valley of southwestern Slovenia, where they continued their experimentation in a self-sufficient environment.

The group eventually broke up, but many of its members went on to have stellar careers. Slavoj Žižek became a world-famous philosopher, Tugo Sušnik emerged as one of Slovenia’s most respected artists, while Marko Pogačnik designed the flag of independent Slovenia. But their experimental zeal never again approached the levels of the 1960s and ‘70s, when OHO was at the forefront of the European avant-garde.