The twelfth unique artistic bench, named “Bench”, was created by academic sculptor Primož Pugelj, MSc. It is located in front of the entrance to the Maribor Puppet Theatre on Vojašniški trg in Maribor. The bench is made of metal and was officially unveiled on 28 December 2017.
Academic sculptor Primož Pugelj graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts at the University of Ljubljana. He completed his postgraduate studies at Indiana University in Pennsylvania, USA. In 2002, he earned his Master of Science degree at the Academy of Fine Arts, University of Ljubljana. His sculptures adorn numerous public spaces and private collections.
The story of the Bench
The bench, located in the courtyard of the Puppet Theatre, consists of a cluster of three masks symbolizing theatre. It is made from 30,000 metal oval plates. Through the expressionless faces of the masks, the artist conveys that anonymity in society leads to insincere and false relationships, reflecting a consumer-oriented society and imposed media reality.
