MATJAŽ POČIVAVŠEK

Matjaž Počivavšek was born on 4 October, 1955, in Ljubljana. He studied sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana under the supervision of Prof Zdenko Kalin, Prof Drago Tršar and Prof Slavko Tihec. After graduating in 1978, he continued his studies in the sculpture masterclass taught by Slavko Tihec. After completing the masterclass, he continued his training at the New York Studio School (1980–1981), where he studied under the supervision of William Tucker, and at the Ècole Nationale Supèrieure des Beaux Arts in Paris (1983–1986). From 1983 onwards, he lived in Paris, where he had his own sculpture studio. In 1996, he returned to Ljubljana, where he now works as Professor at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design. He has had more than thirty solo exhibitions and he has participated in sixty major group exhibitions, including solo shows in Paris, Vienna, Frankfurt, Zagreb, Ljubljana and Slovenj Gradec. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 1980 Golden Bird (Zlata ptica) for sculpture, the 1991 Prešeren Fund Award and the 2001 Rihard Jakopič Award. He lives and works in Ljubljana.