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Novi kolektivizem (NK)
Street address: Društvo NSK State, Golo brdo 82, 1215 Medvode, Slovenia
Mailing address: Društvo NSK State, P O Box 101, SI-1001 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Telephone: 386 (0) 1 361 8340
Proprietor: Neue Slowenische Kunst - NSK State
Contact: Darko Pokorn Head
Novi kolektivizem ('New Collectivism') is the design section of the Neue Slowenische Kunst (NSK) movement - see also Neue Slowenische Kunst - NSK State. Founded in 1984 by the newly-formed NSK to meet its design needs and develop the image of the organisation. Novi Kolektivizem is led by professional designer Darko Pokorn and consists of member(s) from each of the main NSK groups - Laibach, Irwin and Noordung Cosmokinetic Cabinet. It is one of NSK's most active and highly successful departments, designing posters, records covers, books, passports and NSK letterheads. Its designs for Laibach merchandising won an award at the 1994 Ljubljana BIO - Biennial of Industrial Design, and it has also overseen the main designs for construction of the Neue Slowenische Kunst - NSK State website. Novi Kolektivizem also undertakes numerous external commissions, carrying out design work for clients such as Museum of Modern Art Ljubljana and Radio-Television Slovenia (RTV Slovenia). Although Novi Kolektivizem's work often features the distinctive NSK style, some of its recent designs do not display any trace of its NSK connections.
Novi Kolektivizem was responsible for one of biggest scandals in the history of Yugoslavia, which came at a time of increasing instability as that state descended towards violent disintegration. In 1987 NK took part in the competition to design a poster and a torch to commemorate the Dan mladosti (Day of Youth, 25 May) and the birthday of Josip Broz Tito. NK's entry won, picked by the juries of the organisers, and the poster was reproduced in Politika, the main Yugoslav daily newspaper, where an astute member of the public spotted the striking similarity to Nazi artist Richard Klein's painting The Third Reich and duly informed the press. In a country heavily steeped in the romanticised mythology of the anti-fascist, communist partisan struggle, this was highly embarrassing for the authorities. This poster brought home the uncomfortable point that fascism is very much the same as Communism. The full scale of the scandal took NK by surprise, with news travelling beyond Yugoslavia's borders. Michael Benson first heard of the NSK through reports of the story in the USA while working with the New York Times, and a few years later he filmed Prediction of Fire. Despite the furore, no charges were brought against NK (Source: http://www.gla.ac.uk/~dc4w/laibach/poster87.html).
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