Matjaž Wenzel / Salon - knjiga obdobja

Salon of Applied Arts resided at Glavni trg 1 in Maribor from 2013 to 2019, in a building known as Theresienhof, which has reigned the city centre from the time it was built in 1913, prividing a crucial public space. Both Velike kavarna (Grand Cafe) and the Maribor Casino weaved their stories there at some time. The closure of the latter was followed by several years of stagnancy, broken in 2012 by the grand exhibition of the European Capital of Culture titled The Germans and Maribor. Partially renovated spaces prompted the exhibition's designers, Borut Wenzel and Matjaž Wenzel, to join forces with several other creators and further evolve them into a new social and artistic arena after the closure of the exhibition.

Since 2014, the Salon, increasingly asserted its position with its own programme, gradually expanding it with music, dance, literature, debate nights, exhibitions, and small-scale performances. The circle of collaborating producers, institutions, non-governmental organisations and individual artists from Maribor and Slovenia grew ever larger. In this way, the Salon of Applied Arts established itself as one of the most frequented and appreciated cultural venues in Maribor and Slovenia.