Work

Spacal’s graphics and mosaics developed in parallel, earning him recognition as a pioneer of the “Ljubljana School of Printmaking.” His prints initially focused on motifs from the Karst landscape, later incorporating modern technological imagery and significant historical events of the 20th century.

In his graphic art, he combines natural elements with drawing achieved through the tools of modern techniques. Throughout his career, he engaged with mosaics, initially focusing on flat compositions, but later developing a distinctly relief-based, almost architectural style. He is regarded as a reformer and one of the most prominent contemporary creators of this artistic technique in Slovenia. For millennia, mosaic was considered a two-dimensional artistic technique, but in Spacal’s work, its relief-like, dynamic surface first extended into the realm of sculpture and later, through extensive spatial interventions in television scenography, became a fully integrated architectural form.

For his work, he received more than 20 awards and recognitions abroad, including a prize at the 7th Norwegian International Graphics Biennial in Fredrikstad and an award at the 4th International Graphics Biennial in Varna. He participated in numerous exhibitions both at home and abroad, including many graphic biennials, and held several solo exhibitions. His last one, in 2019, was a joint exhibition with his daughter Katarina Spacal at the Peace Memorial in Cerje near Nova Gorica. He was a recipient of awards and honors both domestically and internationally.