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25th November is the International Day for the Prevention of Violence against Women and Girls. Activists mark it as a day against gender violence since 1981. The date was chosen in honor of the Mirabal sisters, three political activists from the Dominican Republic who were brutally murdered on November 25, 1960 for resisting the then State regime.

Ambassador 🇪🇺 David Geer was part of marking the beginning of the campaign implemented together with UN_MK and Osce – Mission to Skopje. Select ‘DELETE’ in order to prevent digital violence against women and girls. The campaign lasts for 16 days with activities held in orange color 🟠 until December 10 – International Human Rights Day.

INTIMATE SPACE – HOUSE (intro by Prof. Slavica Janeshlieva, Ph.D., FFA, UKIM in Skopje)

It is an incredible and almost surreal opportunity to organize an exhibition of works by students from the Faculty of Fine Arts, UKIM in Skopje, in Lichenoski’s house, in the center of the city and on the quay of Vardar, in which one of the founders of Macedonian contemporary fine art lived and worked (albeit briefly and towards the end of his life).

At the invitation of Europe House Skopje and in cooperation with the National Gallery of Macedonia, we felt it was not appropriate to exhibit student works that were made on a different theme and with a different idea in the Lichenoski memorial house, and use the walls of the intimate rooms of Lazar and Zoya Lichenoski as walls in any gallery/museum space. That’s why we decided that this exhibition will consist of works created and inspired by Lichenoski’s personality and creativity, by his house and the space within it, but also by the attitude towards culture and cultural heritage. Just as Lichenoski, with his actions, creativity, talent and energy, left a permanent and invaluable testimony, thought, cultural and fine-art heritage, these young creatives, hopefully, future fine/visual creators, need to be authentic and noticed.

We had a short time for research, design, and implementation, but we hope that the elan and youthful energy, so important and cherished by Lichenoski himself, is visible. As a professor at the School of Applied Arts, now the State High School for Fine Arts and Design that bears his name, he created new generations of Macedonian painters/artists who were to create “new art – diction and visual linguistics of the new age”

[1]. In the spirit of education and vision, we turn Lichenoski’s memorial house into a workshop for students to determine or demystify the space and the attitude towards it. That is why at this exhibition all expressive artistic/visual means are allowed in order to express the idea, to “conquer” the space and offer an experience through the offered opportunity to develop the phenomenon of the artistic concept and ignoring the strict divisions of artistic media and artistic fields and even through the incentive to cross with other arts.

[1] Vaseva Dimeska, Viktorija. Lazar Lichenoski 1901-1964; Museum of Contemporary Art – Skopje, 1998, p. 102

Damjan Jankoski, 2001 3rd year, Department of Sculpture

Grieving, 2022

Lichenoski is grieving, his works are grieving, the walls of his home are grieving, his entire work is grieving.

Creativity contains emotion, effort, thought and desire. Creation requires talent, time, attention, and a lot of patience. The energy and thoughts of the creator, the place where that person spent their precious time creating – whether the person is among the living or the dead, should be protected, marked and nurtured. The condition of the former home of the famous artist from our area, Lazar Lichenoski, is in a very bad condition. Every stone, every brick, every smallest particle of that home is worth it. The purpose of this exhibition is to attract the attention of the authorities in order to take action to preserve the wealth offered by Lichenoski and his works. Will we be aware and conscientious enough?!

Milena Petkovska, 2000 (4th year, Department of Graphics)

What happened?, 2022

In the kitchen of the house, in the original cupboard left behind, I place small reproductions of Lichenoski’s work and broken glasses. I make the reproductions through a performance (during the opening) looking at Lazar Lichenoski’s paintings and place them in the cabinet, which is their refuge. Broken glasses are the flaws in the treatment of culture, creativity and legacy. Right under the rug is what it would be if the flaws weren’t overlooked. In the room on the left, there is optimism that slowly arranges the space and tries to make it similar to the one imagined.

Sara Mitkovska, 2000, 4th year, Department of Graphics

Negligence, 2022

Negligence towards cultural heritage and living culture.

Evgenija Trajkovska, 2001 (3rd year, Department of Graphics), Sara Mitkovska, 2000 (4th year, Department of Graphics), Mihail Paskoski, 2000 (4th year, Department of Graphics)

Entrance fee – Culture is expensive, but non-culture is even more expensive, 2022

You arrive at the exhibition location. Before the entrance you are greeted by students who say that there is an entrance fee. OK, you ask what the price is. They tell you a ridiculous price, for example: seven denars. You wonder for a second and say to yourself OK, let me see if I have change. You receive a finely arranged card that says “Exhibition in honour of Lazar Lichenoski”. The next visitor after you goes through the same procedure, but the students run out of cards! They take out some roughly torn slips of paper and with a half-empty pen write the same words as on your card. What is the point of this? Are the artists getting carried away again?! That’s right, you’re right. The concept behind this ‘Entrance fee’ performance is the irony of the whole event, of the state of the house in which one of the founders of Macedonian art lived, how the fact that an object is falling apart is equivalent to the state of our wonderful society in which we live, how is it possible to be in deficit of money for maintenance and partial renovation of the house, but we have enough money to give budget to the students so that they can then spend the money in Kaldrma Rakija Bar! But that’s not all!

The nonchalance and lack of interest of the students towards arranging and organizing the event or the task that was given to them and they did not fulfill should represent the lack of interest from the people towards the preservation of the culture and art that are becoming moldy in this country, the fact that no organization took the initiative to pay attention to what is a vital part of our lives, which is art.

Mihail Paskoski, 2000, 4th year, Department of Graphics

Trial cleanup, 2022

The dust and ruins accumulated over the years, visible upon first entering the house, are the elements that inspired me to make this work. The recording of dust and pieces of rubble being poured onto a black canvas was taken in this house, and the canvas with the dust on it, although it is a trial cleaning action, represents memorabilia of the house and the unintentionally nurtured dust.

Sara Mitkovska, 2000, 4th year, Department of Graphics

Pure white canvas, 2022

This work reflects you.

All our actions, intentional or not, result in a positive or negative manifestation.

Sara Mitkovska, 2000, 4th year, Department of Graphics

If it is hidden it does not exist, 2022

This work, on the one hand, represents the man who leaves his native land with desire and hope. On the other hand, it shows people running away from problems – sweeping the dirt under the carpet, that is, not solving problems.

Mariјa Jaкјovska, 2000, 4th year, Department of Graphics

The purpose of the installation is to present the melancholy of the lost (or almost lost) culture and spirit of art in the country; but still with a dash of optimism, alongside its symbol of hope. The installation was made of leftover building materials, and the pigeon was borrowed from a dovecote.

Slavcho Pavloski, 2001, 3rd year, Department of Sculpture

Solidified works, 2022

Artworks have their own place of birth/creation and place where they will “reside” (be exhibited or kept).

Lichenoski’s last works were created here, in his house and studio. In this space is their first emotion. That’s why this work, as a symbol of the emotion of his paintings, is solidified inside his house. For me, it is not so important what state it is in, how it looks and to whom this space belongs, but the impression, knowledge and emotions that we get that the artist Lazar Lichenoski lived and worked here.

Sometimes the first impression can tell us a lot about the things we see, and sometimes we can’t find out anything, but it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t give them a second chance, look at them in more detail and maybe change our first impressions.

Milena Petkovska, 2000 (4th year, Department of Graphics), Stefan Jakimovski, 1993 (postgraduate studies, Department of Graphics)

Obstacle, 2022

The concept for this work came from the situation of the house you are standing in right now.

Our opinion regarding the situation of the house is identical to what this work represents to you in this space.

A small obstacle that you can easily jump over, go around or pass under, and thus reach the other side and experience the space in its entirety. This is how we visually present to you how we think this place should be experienced by all those in charge of cultural heritage.

The obstacle is also visible from the outside.

Stefan Jakimovski, 1993, postgraduate studies, Department of Graphics

Pause, 2022

Left dormant and forgotten. Damaged by the blade of time that is slowly killing it. Still a drop of light, flares up or goes out. Both the house and the work carry a similar message.