impression of the exhibition with 175 paintings MKC, Skopje

Travel impressions
Balkan journey 2013

In preparation of the Macedonian selection
and as first preview exhibition in MKC, Skopje
at a program related to the commemmoration 50 years after the devastating earthquacke that struck the city.

With the great help on the road from Natali Nikolovska, Labin Art Express in Labin, Freddy Krupa in Karlovac, Zelenkovac, Olija Ollywood in Sarajevo, Bozidar Plazinic in Cacak, Hotel Prishtina, Vigan Nimani and friends in Prishtina, Anna Scekic in podgorica, Bojan kirizic in Novia Sad and Naim Krasniqi in Rijeka
and through the cooperation with Cultural Youth Center MKC in Skopje, The Directory of Arts and Culture of Skopje and many participating artists, this journey again became remarkable: a journey in a post modern war-torn society.
It is hot.
This journey is mainly based on improvisation presentations and focussed on preparation of the Balkan selections and catalogue that will appear the upcoming years.
The Balkans is a good place to spend too much time.
And besides nostalgic feelings it is full of hope.
Hope that 'a normal life' will be a life one can live with joy.
This place, that got so much attention when the aggresors took the initiative, is now forgotten and isolated. The future is frozen into contemporary actuality. Progres is minimum, friendlyness is lost, most good people left or got lonely, during these years of stagnation.

We hope this selection of artists will turn out be be a reflection of society, making clear what kind of changes in life we hope for, and how to achieve this.

Presentations (see election results) - 02-07 Metelkova, Ljublana, Slovenia - 06-07 Labin Art Express, Labin, Croatia [press presentation] - 06-07 Boulevard, Rabac, Croatia - 07-07 Ul. Stjepana Radica, Karlovac, Croatia - 10-07 Panaroma square, Jajce, Bosnia Hercegovina - 11-07 Pavarotti Music Center, Mostar, Bosnia Hercegovina - 12-07 FIS 20 years Festivities, Sarajevo, Bosnia Hercegovina - 15-07 City Square, Cacak, Serbia - 17-07 NewBorn, Prishtina, Kosovo - 26/27-07 Skopje Se Sekava, MKC, Skopje, Macedonia - 30-07 Hotel Apolonija, Gevgelia, Macedonia - 06-08 Cafe Berlin, Podgorica, Montenegro - 15-08 Grand Hotel Bonavia, Rijeka, Croatia

Metelkova, Ljubljana, SL	Going to the Balkans means going to Ljubljana, Slovenia. Maybe the only country in the world where punkrock and underground really had some influence on the development of the country. Slovenia is small and the alternative movement was big, partly due to the fact that cultural refugees from other parts of former Yugoslavia came to this place. This is Meltelkova, an old army barrack. Metelkova now is since 20 years a mix of subculture, undergroud culture and urban culture.	Jajce, BiH	In Bosnia we had presentations in cooperation with Borislav Jankovic, a painter participating with our program since 2003. This is a presentation in Jajce, BiH
Everybody is a little Janez	I would like to write a lot about this mini berlusconi of Slovenia. Once a fantastic but relatively arrogant jounalist, became minister of defence during the war and then suddenly became the richest man in the country and finaly became prime minister in order to stay out of the hand of justice. Corruption is all around so also here. Massive protests of weeks took place in the winter of 2012/2013 and finally he got officialy accused of corruption. Now he is trying to use tackics of his hero, Silvio Berlusconi. But even cheaper, if possible. Meanwhile some artists took the name of Jansa in order to show maybe that we all have some Jansa in us. See mondaymorningupdate	Pavarotti Music Center, Mostar, BiH	Nice presentation in the Pavarotti Music Center in Mostar. With great help of friends like Oha. It was a particular day, 20 years after the Srebrenica massacre.
Nightperformances in Ljubljana, SL	presentation in Ljubljana @ Menza kod Poriku. Just a nice night with old and new friends.	FIS open Air, Sarajevo, BiH	Also in Sarajevo we did night performances. Often organized at the lastest moment in front of FIS cafe of big brother Olija. Presentations in Sarajevo are usually unexpected and unexpected nice.
	Meet Vladimir Leben On of the artists we were happy too met last year when we made a comeplete Slovenian selection. He made such a gentile panel and now we cleaned his atelier and meanwhile say fantastic things. This picture shows you one impression, but there are several. Find him and check him out, I would say to people who want to know more.	Milan Cakajac in Cacak	Going further south we visited Cacak in order to meet Bozidar Plazinic, who invited 10 artists for us the last year. We picked up 10 great new paintings.
		Detail of the exhibition at MKC, Skopje, MK	In Macedonia we had an exhibition at MKC during to commemoration of the earthquacke that took place 50 years ago. The idea of (social) reconstruction is strongly related with the content of our program and we had a great exhibition with over 500 visitors.
Grosnjan, HR	Visiting Istria is a pleasure, also if you are not looking for the beach. Grosnjan is one of the oldest artists villages in the regio and it is just great to be there. Having in mind we are preparing a greater Croatian selection and will present it the upcoming year, I am quite sure we will be back here.	Natali Kiceec in Ohrid, MK	Meanwhile we had a tour in Macedonia picking up paintings from different artists around. We visited Gostivar, Tetovo, Ohrid and Bitola. All together 64 new paintings were added to the collection.
Denis and Kuba	Two Polish filmmakers saw us in Ljubljana and asked us if the could join for some days. They are on a workshop filmmaking and needed content. We had splendid time in Istria and looking forward to see the work of these guys, because within these few days, they make a very well impression on many levels. Basicly serious, and pushing to the limits. https://vimeo.com/71415975	Hotel Apolonija, Gevgelia, MK	If you travel all Yugoslavia you travel from Jesenica to Gevgelia. This is Hoter Apolonija in Gevgelia under instigation of Mile Nicevsi.
In Labin, HR	Zoran Car is one of the artists we met during our presentetion in Labin last year , traveling with 6de kolonne (see link) He helped us out with hospitaliy and energy and meanwhile made this new painting and played guitar. Painting number 698, and the strory is develloping. There is so much to say.	Visegrad, BiH	Just a pichture in the collection of a yellow truck at famous places. Here in front of the bridge accros the river Drina. For those who do not know that book of Ivo Andric, that is something to check out.
In front of Labin Art Express	Press meeting in Labin in front of Labin Art Express. LAE is realy interesting to check out. On of the few more or less independent art initiatives that survived al those years since the war and transition. see press link	Kosovo	High up in the mountains we had sausages, bread, rakija and paintings of importance. Sal will be happy again with his painting that has content that deserves to be told.
on the street in Karlovac	Alfred 'Freddy' Krupa invited us to give his painting in front of his family and everybody around. That was a great idea and a welcome break during our travel time. Seriously pleasant meeting.	cafe Berlin, Podgorica, MNG	One of the shortest exhibitions took place in Podgorica where police did not accept our blah blah excusses about permissions. So we started in Cafe Berlin and ended up on the parkingplace. Good time.