The eleventh unique artistic bench, titled “Ave Triumphator!” is located in Maribor’s City Park, near the children’s playground. Its creator is Miha Kuhar, a university graduate in design engineering. The bench is made of bronze. The official unveiling took place on 12 November 2017.
Miha Kuhar graduated in Industrial Design from the Academy of Fine Arts at the University of Ljubljana and TAIK, Helsinki Aalto University. He pursued postgraduate studies in the international General Management program at IEDC – Bled School of Management and the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb. His work has been exhibited at the Biennial of Industrial Design (BIO) and the Maribor Art Gallery.
The story of the Bench
The bench is dedicated to Olympian Leon Štukelj and features casts of his personal gymnastic rings, his signature, and the Olympic greeting “Ave triumphator!” It is a precise replica of the original bench in the park where the Olympic gymnast Leon Štukelj used to sit, read, and occasionally exercise. This makes it a unique, “personified” monument, while also serving as a piece of exercise equipment for passersby, especially children and youth.
