Costume designer Cveta Mirnik (1951–2021) responded in 1989, in the theatre bulletin of the Celje City Theatre, to the question of what she still hoped to achieve in her theatrical work: »I have already said that I am probably an incurable optimist – therefore I hope for the best, both in my personal development and in the development and capacities of theatre institutions. I would like to remain a costume designer – in the best possible sense.«

Living in the Municipality of Žalec, she began her theatre career at the nearby Celje City Theatre, and later designed for theatres in Nova Gorica, Maribor, and Ptuj, as well as for the Ljubljana City Theatre and the SNT Drama Ljubljana. She created 45 costume designs at various Slovenian theatre institutions, but collaborated in film and television as well.

She was awarded the Borštnik Prize twice, in 1979 and 1985. Except for theatre stages, she presented sketches and costumes in the frame of individual exhibitions in Žalec, Laško, Celje and Maribor, as well as at group exhibitions at home and abroad.

In 2025, the Slovenian Theatre Institute, which preserves Mirnik’s realized sketches (those that came to life either on stage or on film), joined with the Intermunicipal Public Library Žalec, which holds her unrealized costume concepts and study drawings, the ZKŠT Žalec Institute for Culture, Sport and Tourism and curator Alenka Domjan, Mirnik’s friend since childhood. This collaboration resulted in the exhibitions Cveta Mirnik: Costume Designer and Her World, opened in March 2026 at the Slovenian Theatre Institute in Ljubljana and at the Savin Art Salon in Žalec, as well as in a joint exhibition catalogue. The exhibition in Ljubljana places greater emphasis on sketches that were realized on stages, while the exhibition in Žalec focuses primarily on unrealized works. The exhibitions are complemented by costumes from productions of Celje City Theatre and SNT Nova Gorica.

In 2026, the travelling exhibition Cveta Mirnik: Costume Designer and Her World will be on display: from mid-June to the end of August at the Intermunicipal Public Library Žalec (partial presentation); in September and October at the Celje City Theatre; in November and December at the SNT Nova Gorica.

Public Guided Tours:

– on Wednesday, 25th March 2026, at 5.30 p.m.,

– on Tuesday, 14th April 2026, at 5.30 p.m.,

– on Thursday, 21st May 2026, at 5.30 p.m..

CVETA MIRNIK
Costume Designer and Her World

Exhibition at the Slovenian Theatre Institute from 10 March to 22 May 2026; travelling exhibition from June to December 2026

Production: Slovenian Theatre Institute (SLOGI) • Author and Curator: Tea Rogelj • Graphic Design: Jože Domjan • Technical Realization: Andrej Ovsec • Educational Programmes: Sandra Jenko • Language Editor: Andraž Polončič Ruparčič

Costumes for the exhibition were provided in collaboration with Celje City Theatre and SNT Nova Gorica. • We are especially grateful for materials and information provided by: Marinka Colja (SNT Nova Gorica), Tatjana Kolenc (SNT Nova Gorica), Anita Kragelj (Celje City Theatre), Teja Merhar (The Archives, Museum of Modern Art), Dušan Mlakar, Nevenka Tomašević, and Ivica Vodovnik (Celje City Theatre).

The project Cveta Mirnik: Costume Designer and Her World is a collaborative effort of:

The exhibition at SLOGI and the traveling exhibition were made possible by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia.