THE FIRST ONES: WOMEN AMONGST MEN

What if we were to trace the development of contemporary art starting from the artistic production of women artists, critically considering not only their creative work but also the socio-political, sociological, and artistic contexts they challenge, the gender issues they confront, and the artistic frontiers they push? Would this generate not only different ethical, ontological, epistemological, and philosophical dimensions, but also alternative visions of what constitutes an art context or an “Artworld”? What kind of historical development, relations, and art forms might emerge from women’s perspective on the history of art? Furthermore, is the emergence of women artists merely incidental, or are they viewed as exceptions in light of the broader history of unequal and discriminatory treatment of women?

The need to re-examine traditional canons and establish a history of women artists, along with the broader need to construct a history of women specifically intended to make their presence visible, represents a re-evaluation, a critical interrogation, or a supplementation of a history written exclusively from a white, male perspective. Women have always been present throughout history, actively participating in the creation of society across all its spheres; yet their contributions and their role in the development of Macedonian modern and contemporary art have frequently remained unrecognized, undocumented, or even (self-)marginalized. Consequently, the historical record concerning them remains fragmentary, with a scarcity of archival and documentary evidence compounded by a general lack of concern for the systematic preservation of the cultural past.

Mena Spirovska, Head (Composition III), 1963, woodcut on paper, 30.3 х 41.7 см. Collection of prints of the MoCA Skopje

Thus, the central idea behind the exhibition THE FIRST ONES. WOMEN AMONGST MEN, part of a series of curatorial exhibitions that construct a version of the permanent collection display at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA) – Skopje across different spaces and periods, is to reconfigure hegemonic narratives and offer alternative perspectives on past artistic practices and their representation. Specifically, the exhibition aims to bring together a selection of works by several women artists born in the first half of the 20th century. These women stood as exceptions within a male-dominated, authoritarian, and Western-centric artistic worldview. They navigated this landscape in their own distinctive way, carving out positions as a kind of “intruders,” existing in the cracks of history. Consequently, this research also represents an attempt to construct a “history created within the fissures” (or the in-between spaces) – a realm in which women, minorities, and colonized peoples generated knowledge, philosophy, and resistance, not through official institutions (from which they were excluded), but through the hidden “cracks” in the dominant patriarchal and colonial system. The women artists included in this exhibition were born either shortly before or during the first half of the 20th century, up to 1949. They were born within the political borders of the contemporary Macedonian state, or identified as Macedonian despite having been born outside the country, or were born outside of the country but pursued their careers in it, or taught some of its most significant artists. They generally received their education at academies or secondary schools in the region or in Skopje and actively participated in the visual arts scene immediately before and during the first few decades after the Second World War, with some remaining active to this day.

Borka Avramova, Man from the Mountain, 1962, teracotta, 35 х 22 х 28 cm. Sculpture collection, MoCA Skopje

The artists featured in the THE FIRST ONES. WOMEN AMONGST MEN represent the first generations of women artists to become actively involved in professional artistic life and the struggle for equality. These women occasionally broke into the male-dominated sphere and overcame stigmas, while also occupying roles as partners of well-known male artists, sisters, friends, acquaintances, or mothers. They often acted as passive or indirect participants in the local art scene. The artists included in this exhibition studied in Sofia, Belgrade, Zagreb, or later in Skopje, bringing with them diverse modernist influences – ranging from academic realism to expressionism, post-impressionism, abstraction, and contemporary conceptual practices. Their work encompasses various media: painting, printmaking, sculpture, drawing, tapestry and textiles, ceramics, costume design, and installation. Yet, although women were formally granted equal rights in Yugoslavia following the Second World War, the field of art remained predominantly male-dominated. Women artists were less frequently granted solo exhibitions; they were underrepresented in museum collections and historical surveys; they were often portrayed as “exceptions” rather than as equal participants in artistic movements; and they had to reconcile their professional ambitions with societal expectations regarding family and domestic responsibilities. Consequently, many of their contributions remained under-researched for a long time. These artists should therefore not be understood merely as “women artists,” but as active participants in the shaping of modern and contemporary Macedonian art. Their shared context is defined by the processes of institution-building within the national culture and the modernization of artistic practices, as well as by the ongoing negotiation of women’s visibility and recognition in a field long dominated by men.

Olga Milić, Moment of Action 2, 1976, Polyester, 62 х 46 х 32 сm. Sculpture collection, MoCA Skopje

THE FIRST ONES: WOMEN AMONGST MEN is the first research-based exhibition of its kind at the institution. In addition to the artworks and documentation, the exhibition explores and presents the networking, organizational forms, and political activism of women during the first half of the 20th century. It also examines the perspectives and the (im)possibility of reconstructing the history of women within the Macedonian past. This research and the accompanying text by historian Ivana Hadzievska, outline the political backdrop that served to encourage and support the emergence of women artists. Furthermore, in collaboration with architect Jovan Ivanovski, a unique exhibition design has been created. Using a rhizomatic like structure, it aims to convey the strength of the women’s gesture and the dispersed yet penetrating and resolute presence of women artists, as well as their modes of collaboration, thought, and organization, and the importance of documenting their presence in history.

Artists: Olga Benson, Marica Antonova Popstefanieva, Zora Petrović, Marija Malahova, Katja Eftimova, Keraca Visulčeva, Lena Stefanova, Ljubica Sokić, Vasilka Hristova, Nada Korda Sima, Vida Jocić, Marija Danova, Borka Avramova, Zagorka Zaga Malinkovska, Mena Spirovska – Menche, Rada Petrova Malkikj, Ljubica Nakova Donska, Jelena Patrnogić, Ljubica Andreevska – Ljupka, Persida Perchuklievska, Liljana Gjuzelova, Lepa Hadzi Dimova, Ilinka Gligorova Suza, Iskra Grabul, Mira Apostolska, Ruzhica Josifovska, Dragica Janeva, Miroslava Spirovska Mira, Jelena Risteska, Elena Doncheva Tancheva, Ana Temkova, Zorica Todorova Mladenovikj, Aneta Svetieva, Makedonka Andonova, Liljana Blazhevska, Evgenija Demnievska, Danica Markovska, Nada Nakova, Violeta Chaule Granka, Marija Tusha Iloska, Olga Milić, Tonkica Mitrovska, Sunchica Bozhinovska, Lidija Sazdovska.

Curator: Ivana Vaseva

Collaborators: Blagoja Varoshanec, Iva Dimovski, Vladimir Janchevski

Conservator: Ljupcho Iljovski

Exhibition Design: Jovan Ivanovski in collaboration with Ivana Vaseva

Design Collaborator: Iliana Petrushevska

Historical Context: Ivana Hadzievska

Technical Execution of the Exhibition Design: Third-year students from the Painting and Transmedia Practices study program, enrolled in the courses “Applied Painting Techniques and Practices” and “Painting and Transmedia Research” at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Skopje (Emilija Atanasovska, Daniela Damjanoska, Ivana Denchevska, Mihaela Dimitrovska, Bojana Gjorshevska, Jovana Kirjakovska, Iva Laboska, Anastasija Nedeljkovska, Bojana Nikolova, Ana Risteska, Ema Taleska, Jovana Trajkova)

The exhibition comprises works from the collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA) – Skopje, as well as works loaned in collaboration with other national institutions and private individuals.

Cover image: AnetaSvetieva, By the Beauty and the Beast (detail), 1993, terracotta, three part composition with figurines, variable dimensions. MoCA Skopje sculpture collection