Doze is the intermediary state between wakefulness and dreaming, a threshold where reality blends seamlessly with imagination. Known as hypnagogia when we fall asleep, or hypnopompia when we wake up, doze is accompanied by fleeting visions, strange connections to the everyday world, and fragments of emotion. It is a moment of surrender, a meeting place of the conscious and the unconscious. Throughout history, this twilight of the mind has inspired myths, legends and stories, both ancient and modern. From the surreal dreams of Orpheus to the cinematic worlds of today, these creations often reflect a deep human need to transform the inexplicable into narratives that guide, teach and connect us.

In this spirit, the exhibition “Doze” explores the delicate intertwining of the real and the unreal. In her artworks, Tina Kralj offers a fresh interpretation of archetypes from stories, myths and fairy tales, while creating a unique and personal iconography of images. The latter are bearers of universal truths, while also reflecting the artist’s own perception of the world and her personal experiences. Just as the hypnagogic state connects the familiar and the surreal, Tina Kralj’s gouaches attempt to capture the essence of human experience through the prism of the fantastic.

“Doze” invites us to enter an intermediary space, a space where stories arise and boundaries are blurred. It invites us to explore the collective history of images while creating our own interpretations, which can open new doors to understanding ourselves and society.

Tina Kralj (*1990, Slovenj Gradec) has presented her paintings in acrylic, watercolour and gouache at three small solo exhibitions: in 2018, at the Kotlovnica Youth Centre in Kamnik (Creatures); in 2020, at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Ljubljana (Shudder); and in 2021, at the Oton Župančič Library (Archetype). In addition to her creative work in the visual arts, she has also executed several individual and group artist actions. Under the auspices of Raum AU, she created the interactive work Cross-Section – Art/Politics in Rettenbach (Germany) in 2016, and the following year, she produced the public intervention Hands off: Where does sex make you itch? in Slovenj Gradec, again with the assistance of Raum AU. In 2017, as part of the programme EVS, she carried out the group interactive action Normalize period. PERIOD  in Dworp (Belgium), and in 2018, she participated in the exhibition Artkusije with the group project Unlimited Derby of Use.