Academia Nuts is a unique, broadly set contemporary art education programme produced by ULAY Foundation and Fotopub. Its playful title plays on the meaning of the words academia and nut (academia ... macadamia ... crack a nut ... tough nuts to crack ... nuts ... crazy ... work ... research ... unknown ... oil ...) and reimagines how academia and artistic practice can be interpreted through art and critical thought.

The Academia Nuts programme is a platform for exploring intellectual and artistic production, as well as new forms of education. It hosts some of the most respected and interesting international thinkers, artists, philosophers, writers, collectors, gallerists, activists, performance artists and all-around nutters in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The programme, curated by Hana Ostan Ožbolt and Dušan Josip Smodej offers selected participants (students and recent Masters' studies graduates) four rigorous years of academic sessions composed of public evening lectures and semi-public seminars. They establish the basis of the program's thought structure – an indispensable studio, the sole aim of which is to embody learning and to provide a space for an in-depth discussion on the meaning of concepts like art, ecology, philosophy and politics with both international and local experts.

Academia Nuts participants delve into the issues of understanding, learning and expression in a way that transcends discourse and makes use of all participants' creativity. To grow, they make use of the knowledge, experiences and abilities developed during this critical, multi-faceted, collective learning process. Together, we wish to create a new generation of extraordinary professionals and thinkers, capable of working parallel to established structures of academia and with the help of the powerful base of our organizations and partners to tackle a variety of issues in reality or beyond it, thereby becoming agents for our society's change.

ACADEMIA NUTS #1 (2020–2021): Lina Akif, Hannah Koselj Marušič, Lucija Ostan Vejrup, Lara Papov, Ema Radovan, Iza Štrumbelj Oblak, Lea Topolovec, Eva Žibert

ACADEMIA NUTS #2 (2021–2022): Monika Curk, Andraž Dolinšek, Brina Jenček, Anita Končar, Eva Kraljič, Andrija Mihailović, Timotej Novaković,  Lana Požlep, Ema Radovan, Iza Štrumbelj Oblak, Ava Tribušon Ovsenik

Lecturers, guest and contributors: Hamja Ahsan, Nejc Prah, Iza Pavlina, Miloš Kosec, Dragan Živadinov, Kukla – Katarina Rešek, Karol Radziszewski, Dorian Batycka, Driton Selmani, Maša Pelko, Marina Gržinić, Alen Ožbolt, Luka Savić, Vladimir Vidmar, Andrej Škufca, Ahmet Ögut, Tadej Vaukman, Meta Grgurevič, Tevž Logar 

More at academianuts.art