The Association of Fine Artists of Macedonia (DLUM) opened the jubilee 22th edition of the traditional “Winter Salon” exhibition on February 20 in the Cifte Hamam facility at the National Gallery.
The curatorial theme of the biennial exhibition “Winter Salon” of DLUM is entitled “Intimacy and Interconnection”. About 80 artists applied to participate in the exhibition, and 34 works by Macedonian and three works by Ukrainian artists were selected for the final exhibition.
The selector of the exhibition is Oksana Karpovets, a curator from Ukraine who lives and works in Paris. To participate in the exhibition, the artists could offer works made in different techniques and media, and the most important thing was that the works respond to the given theme.
– In these troubling times, with scenes of mass crimes, natural disasters, pandemics and climate change unfolding before our eyes every day, there is a greater awareness of the interconnectedness of everything happening in the world. Any event on the other side of the planet can affect what is happening here and now. Many centuries ago, the mythical connection with everything around us – the spirits of ancestors, nature, the earth, animals was natural and real for people. But with this development of the logic of the modern age, there is an amnesia about global interconnectedness. Today, humanity is cut off from the sense of being part of the universe, considering itself a superior and isolated being, not only in relation to nature, but also in relation to the relationship of humans to each other. Only the experience and feeling of closeness and mutual action, which is called love, can reduce the alienation and atomization of modern man, and it is art that can initiate and provoke all these feelings. Intimacy is very important in the modern world, because it makes us human – said selector Oksana Karpovec.
The president of DLUM, prof. Dr. Jana Maneva-Cuposka emphasized that “Winter Salon” is one of the most significant program exhibitions of the Society. She recalled that the first “Winter Salon” was held in 1992, when the art historian Victoria Vaseva Dimeska was hired as curator.
The concept of selectivity, which has been nurtured since the exhibition exists, is aimed at the greatest representation of quality works that correspond to the given theme and that contain the component of a contemporary concept and contemporary artistic expression.
– Historically speaking, this exhibition is key in terms of bold artistic debates and installations that affirm the role of visual works as a reflection of society, with independence serving as a platform for experimentation and challenging existing conventions in search of new ideologies and ways of expression – emphasizes prof. Dr. Maja Raunik Kirkov, president of the Art Council of DLUM.
The biennial exhibition “Winter Salon” has a competitive nature and one prize is awarded which enables a two-month stay in the Macedonian atelier at the “Cite des artes” in Paris, France. The winner of the award at the 20th “Winter Salon” of DLUM is the visual artist Tanja Balac with the video work “Next Generation”.
Since 2003, the financial resources for the stay in Paris have been provided by the Ministry of Culture of the RSM. Jana Maneva-Chuposka expressed special gratitude to the National Gallery and the director Dita Starova Qerimi for the cooperation. The graphic design of the catalog for the exhibition is by Hristijan Sanev.
At the 20th “Winter Salon” in Cifte Hamam, works by the artists Ana Ivanovska, Ana Spasova, Ana Trajkovska, Ana V’chkova, Anica Kitanoska, Valentina Ilijevska, Dijana Tomic Radevska, Dorina Teneva, Zulejha Zuberi Ali, Iliana Petrushevska, Irena Pascali, Jana Jakimovska, Jana Lulovska, Jana Maneva-Chuposka, Kole Manev, Maja Kirovska, Maja Raunik Kirkov, Marija Mitsova Gatsova, Maria Chepisheva, Marina Cvetanovska-Martinovska, Mila Dobrevska, Miroslava Cvetkovic, Nela Jankovska, Nenad Tonkin, Nikola Smilkov, Ozbek Aivaz, Pandora Apostoloska Sazdovska, Slavica Taneska, Slobodan Milosheski, Stefan Jakimovski, Strahil Petrovski, Tanya Balak, Hristina Zafirovska, Shqipe Mehmeti, as well as guests from Ukraine Miro Klochko, Anatoly Tatarenko, Andriy Rachinski, Daniil Revkovski and Sergiy Petlyuk.
(The text was published in “Cultural Press” number 219, in the printed edition of the newspaper “Sloboden Pechat” on 24-25.02.2024)
