Enej Gala
Nevereverevereverevereverever learn
Enej Gala creates an imaginary world filled with characters merging into one another and occupying structures that are subverting their real-world roles, taking advantage of the ambiguity of materials they are made of. He refers to Richard Teschner, a puppeteer who worked in Prague and Vienna in the first half of the twentieth century, in creating an artificial world that enables us to rethink the time we live in, its shifts, tensions and paradoxes.
Enej Gala, Round Table, Nevereverevereverevereverever learn, 2021. Photo: Clelia Cadamuro / A plus A, Venice.
Nevereverevereverevereverever learn (2022) includes a video in which the Minotaur and Sisyphus merge into one puppet named Minosaur, trapped in a structure that is at once mechanical and methodical as well as organic, with a pink liquid oozing over its pillars and filling the head of the puppet. An eerie combination, lit brightly pink, giving us a sense of a living labyrinth, working tirelessly to prevent an escape. It is a confined dreamscape, a world observed, in fact a sculpture on four legs, itself a luring and captivating dystopian miniature.
In Gala’s project, the emphasis is on a mistake, one that is inevitable but does not prevent one from trying again and again despite failing just as many times. Yet the way the mechanism is constructed implies that mistakes are inherent to the system we are all in some way a part of. It is not (only) the individual that is prone to failure, perhaps it is the system that is designed to fail (us). It’s a healthy negativism, according to the artist, one where failure becomes a driving force, knowing that one will never learn but also never stop trying.
In Gala’s project, the emphasis is on a mistake, one that is inevitable but does not prevent one from trying again and again despite failing just as many times. Yet the way the mechanism is constructed implies that mistakes are inherent to the system we are all in some way a part of. It is not (only) the individual that is prone to failure, perhaps it is the system that is designed to fail (us). It’s a healthy negativism, according to the artist, one where failure becomes a driving force, knowing that one will never learn but also never stop trying.
Enej Gala, Round Table, Nevereverevereverevereverever learn, 2021. Photo: Clelia Cadamuro / A plus A, Venice. 
Enej Gala, Nevereverevereverevereverever learn, video still, 2022. Courtesy of the artist.
Enej Gala (1990) expands narration in his artistic practice by questioning traditional perspectives on painting, performative sculpture, puppetry and video, and by exploring different forms of production through frequent collaborations. He received his BA and MA in painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice. During his studies, he also attended the Willem De Kooning Academy in Rotterdam. He is currently part of the Royal Academy Schools Postgraduate Programme 2019–2023 in London. He participated in group exhibitions in Slovenia, Italy and the UK as well as presented his work in numerous solo exhibitions. He lives and works between London, Venice and Nova Gorica.
Etc. is a annual magazine, dedicated to showcasing current artistic production from the Baltic to the Balkans.
Based in Ljubljana, Slovenia, each issue is dedicated to a relevant topic in art and life. Founded to promote emerging artists, its goal is to initiate a dialogue, inspire collaborations, and challenge set views.