New idols - THIS IS BADLAND Issue 03
The young photography graduate Viktor Naumovski takes us through his story Unbuckled For The Ride, presented as a past-present-future narrative. The three frames of the inner dialogues contextualised in three time periods, invite us to relax our perception; to join the ride and partake in his discourse.
Unbuckled for the ride exhibition
Acanthus Gallery, Skopje
Past: No Crying in the Club - The exiting conjoining of the the past and the revisited past in the here and now, creates flashbacks in search of a deconstruction of family relations. Juxtaposed, the past and the present tell the same story with a distance of 20 years, filmed over archival family videotapes, creating a logical flow of known childhood and infantile narratives. The need to retell might be related to the need to relive forgotten memories. These memories are initiated in the members of his closest family thought a finely directed actors' play, whilst they, the actors are now the roots he felt detached from in the period of his absence from home. The ready-made object – carpet (yambolia) is closely linked to the Macedonian cultural heritage. The colour blue is used to fully engulf the room of the past as an aesthetic of three-dimensional composition; I would suggest also a symbolism that brings serenity and invites positive vibrations.
Present: New Idols - The digital landscape collage presented as a triptych carries the viewer to a figurative labyrinth. In this search for new idols, we find the author's own. The central model is the figure of the author's grandfather. The photographs of his ancestor, who at the author’s age took a trip to Macedonia's neighboring countries, are set in different environments. The figure that is shown on several photos, set in one narrative entirety, cannot be grasped immediately. The author offers his discourse of construction and deconstruction of the composition, inviting engagement and active participation on the side of the viewer in a game of lost and found. The vibrant and contrasting red and blue colours, create a sensation of trembling and even pain in the viewer's eye. Therefore be prepared for Victor to take you on a three-dimensional journey, that was taken by his grandfather, by him and will now be traveled by you as an audience.
Unbuckled for the ride exhibition
Acanthus Gallery, Skopje
Future Untitled - The red light coming from the room lures you to enter, but at the same time it frightens you. The eye and the feelings suggest lust, raw energy, but also aggression. Is that the truth about the future? What awaits us? The complete coloration of the space and just one small photograph create the magic of the intersection of the inner world of one artwork. The bloody eye on the photograph with realism instigates the terrified consciousness, and he author with his youthful wisdom initiates a photographic ecstasy with the viewer.
Unbuckled for the ride exhibition
Acanthus Gallery, Skopje
Installation Documentation: Viktor Naumovski
Event Documentation: Viktor Naumovski and Gorijan V. Prozus
Graphic Design: Zahari Dimitrov
Curatorial Text: Dijana Tomik- Radevska
