The Greek contribution to Skopje's modern identity
I first visited Skopje in 1997 to attend a peace concert by
Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis. It had all the elements to become a charming
city with a strong modernist identity, expanding on the reconstruction that was
carried out with the help of Greek architect Constantinos Doxiadis after the
devastating earthquake in 1963.
On a recent visit, however, I was disappointed by what was
evidently a rush job to implement Skopje 2014, a project launched by the then
nationalist government of Nikola Gruevski to endow the capital with “classical
charm.” What I found was less greenery, no open spaces around the old stone
bridge spanning the Vardar River, and some of its modernist architectural
elements sacrificed on the altar of Gruevski’s ambitions of grandeur.
Today, in the wake of the Prespes agreement with Greece, there
is a lively debate among artists and architects on how the city can shed the
unprepossessing buildings and vulgar sculptures inspired by the ancient Greek
civilization that emerged from Skopje 2014. The cost of removing the statues is
prohibitive, according to the government, which has said that it will post
signs clarifying that they reference ancient Greece.
However, there is already a strong and often overlooked Greek
presence in Skopje’s cultural life, one that symbolizes solidarity between the
two nations. Born as a result of the earthquake, the Skopje Museum of
Contemporary Art has 46 works by 34 Greek artists that were donated to the
institution 55 years ago when it made an international appeal for support in
1963.
Museum curator Zoran Petrovski told me the story as we looked
out at the beautiful view of the fortress from the atrium of the modernist
building, which was spared the Skopje 2014 makeover.
The museum’s appeal met with an immediate response and it
managed to amass more than 2,000 paintings, sculptures, engravings and
photographs in just a few years from 1,667 artists in 66 countries. Pablo
Picasso was among the first artists to donate work, a painting titled “Woman’s
Head,” which came with a letter from the artist.
Poland financed the construction of the building and donated
another 212 pieces. Greece also responded, with artists Vasso Katraki and
Manolis Piladakis sending some pieces in 1965. Yannis Gaitis exhibited his work
in one of the museum’s first shows, and donated five pieces before coming back to
Greece and encouraging his fellow artists to do their bit.
Thanks to such donations, which continued until the 1980s, the
museum now has a very solid collection of 5,500 exhibits representing the
international trends that prevailed post-World War II and especially after the
1950s. Italy was the biggest donor, with 352 pieces, followed by France,
Croatia, Poland, Brazil, Serbia, the United States and Japan, among many
others. The museum organizes shows dedicated to the donor countries, with
Greece being the guest of honor last year.
“It was a symbolic exhibition in which we tried to express our
puzzlement at the political and ensuing cultural divide separating the two
neighbors until recently. The Greek donations shed light on this paradox by
showing that art has the power to build cultural bridges,” Petrovski said.
The sculptures from the Gruevski era, however, continue to
represent that divide, Petrovski stressed, adding that “the city did not
deserve the Skopje 2014 project.”
“It was dictated purely by political expedience. It was planned
without public consultation and executed with vague procedures. It was a vulgar
project with an ugly outcome,” said the museum curator.
The Skopje Museum of Contemporary Art is now one of leading
voices in the debate on how to fix the city and also spearheaded the
Freeingspace initiative for reclaiming public space, which Skopje presented at
the Venice Biennale of Architecture. The initiative also comprises designs for
ridding the city’s modernist buildings of their pseudo-classical trappings.
These are currently on show at the museum, which is also hosting lectures and
discussions on the issue.
In the meantime, the recovery from Gruevski’s 500-million-euro
project is still ongoing.
“It is true that we are struggling to make ends meet,” Petrovski
admitted. “But we are hoping for better days, for policies that are more
understanding. A small country like this, with such a weak economy, needs time
to get back on its feet. However, we will not always be isolated. For example, there
are already discussions for exhibitions with museums in Greece.”
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