DC -- American University -- Katzen Arts Center -- 2016E Late Fall Gallery Talk: Just(ified) Vandalism w/Aneta Georgievska-Shine:
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Description of Pictures: Gallery Talk: Just(ified) Vandalism
Several years ago, the government of the Republic of Macedonia embarked on an expensive “urban renewal” of the capital city, Skopje. Most of this renewal consisted of large monuments of “historic” figures and new quasi-classical facades over old buildings. In spring 2016, these monuments and buildings came under attack by various groups of citizens. Using paint as ammunition, they defaced these edifices in an expression of revolt both against this highly divisive nationalist project, and the perceived government corruption and disregard for the rule of law. These protests, known as the “Colorful Revolution,” continue at present.
In this gallery talk, curator Aneta Georgievska-Shine will discuss the visual testimonies of three photographers featured in the exhibition The High Stakes of Macedonia’s “Colorful Revolution”: Robert Atanasovski, Vanco Dzambaski, and Kire Galevski. The exhibition The High Stakes of Macedonia's "Colorful Revolution" is on view in the Kreeger Lobby (in front of the museum doors) through December 19.
Same Event: Wait! There's more! Because I took too many pictures, photos from this event were divided among the following pages:
[Display ALL photos on one page]:
2016_DC_KatzenX_2016E: DC -- American University -- Katzen Arts Center -- 2016E Late Fall Exhibitions (89 photos from 2016)
2016_DC_Vandalism_161129: DC -- American University -- Katzen Arts Center -- 2016E Late Fall Gallery Talk: Just(ified) Vandalism w/Aneta Georgievska-Shine (124 photos from 2016)
2016_DC_KatzenXT_161111: DC -- American University -- Katzen Arts Center -- 2016E Late Fall Gallery Talk: Melissa Ichiuji, Martha Wilson, Sylvia Snowden, and Carol Brown Goldberg (87 photos from 2016)
2016_DC_Carmwath_161112: DC -- American University -- Katzen Arts Center -- 2016E Late Fall Gallery Talk: Squeak Carnwath (33 photos from 2016)
2016_DC_KatzenO_161111: DC -- American University -- Katzen Arts Center -- 2016E Late Fall Opening Reception (Member) (4 photos from 2016)
2016_DC_KatzenO_161112: DC -- American University -- Katzen Arts Center -- 2016E Late Fall Opening Reception (Public) (68 photos from 2016)
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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
VANDA1_161129_075.JPG: Jack Rasmussen
VANDA1_161129_087.JPG: Aneta Georgievska-Shine
VANDA1_161129_121.JPG: Todor Arsovski
VANDA1_161129_137.JPG: Todor Arsovski and Raino Isto
VANDA1_161129_195.JPG: Raino Isto, Aneta Georgievska-Shine, and Todor Arsovski
VANDA2_161129_017.JPG: "Just(ified) Vandalism: Macadenia's Government Project to Rebuild History and the Citizen Revolt it Provoked, 2016"
Aneta Georgievska-Shine
VANDA2_161129_019.JPG: Under the pressure of the EU and the USA, Macadonian governmet [sic] allows for a [sic] creation of an independent judicial body -- special prosecution office -- in December of 2015
VANDA2_161129_025.JPG: The president of the Republic of Macedonia, Georgi Ivanov declares amnesty for politicians being investigated for various crimes, April 12, 2016
VANDA2_161129_033.JPG: Beginning of protests, April 13, 2016
VANDA2_161129_048.JPG: Protesters demolish the office of the president on Day 1 of the protests
VANDA2_161129_054.JPG: The poster reads - "Resignation"
VANDA2_161129_060.JPG: The sign reads - "Farewell Nikola" -- Nikola Gruevski, the head of VMRO-DPMNE
VMRO-DPMNE
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization – Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity, simplified as VMRO-DPMNE, is one of the two major Macedonian parties, the other being the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM). The party has proclaimed itself as Christian democratic, but has been described as nationalist. Under the leadership of Ljubčo Georgievski in its beginning, the party supported Macedonian independence from Socialist Yugoslavia. The party has been leading a pro-European and pro-NATO policy in recent years, but it does not agree to the country's name changing. VMRO's support is based on ethnic Macedonians with some exceptions; it claims that "the party's goals and objectives express the tradition of the Macedonian people on whose political struggle and concepts it is based." Nevertheless, it has formed multiple coalition governments with ethnic minority parties.
VANDA2_161129_068.JPG: Protesters with effigies of key political figures
VANDA2_161129_086.JPG: Poster with the face of Fatime Fetai: she used the phrase No Pasaran during a press conference, a vow not to stop the investigation -- or allow more disruptions and obstructions.
They shall not pass
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"They shall not pass" (French: Ils ne passeront pas!; Spanish: ¡No pasarán!) is a slogan used to express determination to defend a position against an enemy. "On ne passe pas" literally means "one does not pass"; this being a common French idiom to express interdiction.
It was most famously used during the Battle of Verdun in the First World War by French General Robert Nivelle. It appears on propaganda posters, such as that by Maurice Neumont after the Second Battle of the Marne, which was later adopted on uniform badges by units manning the Maginot Line. Later during the war, it also was used by Romanian soldiers during the Battle of Mărășești (the Romanian translation of the phrase is "Pe aici nu se trece").
It was also used during the Spanish Civil War, this time at the Siege of Madrid by Dolores Ibárruri Gómez, a member of the Communist Party of Spain, in her famous "No pasarán" speech on 19 July 1936. The leader of the fascist forces, Generalísimo Francisco Franco, upon gaining Madrid, responded to this slogan by saying "Hemos pasado" ("We have passed").
"¡No pasarán!" was used by British anti-fascists during the October 1936 Battle of Cable Street, and is still used in this context in some political circles. It was often accompanied by the words nosotros pasaremos (we will pass) to indicate that communists rather than fascists will be the ones to seize state power.
The phrase was brought to the public consciousness again following action in December 1943 by French-Canadian officer Paul Triquet of the Royal 22e Regiment; his action included his use of Nivelle's phrase "to win a key objective at Ortona, Italy, in the face of overwhelming German opposition."
In the 1980s, the phrase ¡No pasarán! was a theme in the civil wars in Central America, particularly in Nicaragua. Nicaragua no pasarán is also the title of a 1984 documentary by David Bradbury about the events in Nicaragua that led to the overthrow of Somoza's dictatorship.
VANDA2_161129_087.JPG: Poster with a call for action --
Colorful Revolution: Share, Take Part, Join!
VANDA2_161129_099.JPG: The government project, Skopje 2014
Beg. 2009 -- Still unfinished. Early estimate of cost, 100 mil. Euros, current estimate 600 mil. Euros
Skopje 2014
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Skopje 2014 (Macedonian: Скопје 2014) is a project financed by the Government of the Republic of Macedonia, with the main ideology being based on that of the then-ruling party VMRO-DPMNE, with the purpose of giving the capital Skopje a more classical appeal by the year 2014. The project, officially announced in 2010, consists mainly of the construction of museums and government buildings, as well as the erection of monuments depicting historical figures from the region of Macedonia. Around 20 buildings and over 40 monuments are planned to be constructed as part of the project.
The Skopje 2014 project has been criticized by various groups since the time it was first announced for constructing nationalistic historicist kitsch. Skopje 2014 has also generated controversy for its cost, for which estimates range from 80 to 500 million euros.
The Skopje 2014 project encompasses the construction, from 2010 to 2014, of 136 structures built at a cost of more than US$700 million.
Background
The 1963 Skopje earthquake destroyed approximately 80% of the city, including most of the neoclassical buildings in the central part of Skopje. The rebuilding that followed saw the construction of mostly plain Socialist architecture. This is one of the reasons given by the VMRO-DPMNE government for the necessity of the project, to give Skopje a more monumental and visually pleasing image. Another reason is to restore the missing sense of national pride and create a more metropolitan atmosphere. In a speech at the opening of Porta Macedonia in January 2012, then Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski stated that Skopje 2014 was his idea.
Criticism
See also: Antiquization
The Skopje 2014 project has been criticized by various groups since the time it was first announced. The cost of the project is estimated at anywhere from 80 to more than 500 million euros and is seen by many as a waste of resources in a country with high unemployment and poverty. The project is also believed by critics to be a distraction from these problems.
The Social Democratic Union of Macedonia, the main opposition party, opposes the project and has alleged that the monuments could have cost six to ten times less than what the government paid.
The project is seen as a part of the government's "antiquisation" policy, in which the country seeks to claim ancient Macedonian figures like Alexander the Great and Philip II of Macedon for itself. The timing of the project, following the country's non-invitation to NATO due to its continued naming dispute with Greece, has led to speculation that it is retaliation or an attempt to put pressure on Greece. Some residents see the scheme as the embodiment of nationalism by a conservative government focused as much on giving the metropolis a facelift as changing the nation's history and have described it as a mini-Las Vegas while others appreciate its classical nod to the past.
Sam Vaknin, a former adviser to Nikola Gruevski, has stated that the project is not anti-Greek or anti-Bulgarian, but anti-Albanian. In an interview, he said "Antiquisation has a double goal, which is to marginalise the Albanians and create an identity that will not allow Albanians to become Macedonians." The project, however, later included depictions of ethnic Albanians in the monuments including Nexhat Agolli, Josif Bageri, and Pjetër Bogdani, as well as others on the Art Bridge, and includes the construction of Skanderbeg Square.
Architects have criticized the aesthetics of the project and believe the money could have been spent on constructing modern buildings. It has also been described as nationalist kitsch.
VANDA2_161129_102.JPG: Skopje 2014 - Detail of Alexander
Detail of the fountain base
Sculpture author: Valentina Stevanoska, cousin of PM
Totally unknown until then
VANDA2_161129_116.JPG: Skopje 2014 - New ministry of foreign affairs
VANDA2_161129_133.JPG: Protest at the headquarters of the government - this modernist building was - revamped with a classical facade in imitation of the White House
VANDA2_161129_141.JPG: Skopje 2014 - Tight cluster of narrow buildings by the river.
The boat is front is supposed to draw tourists, has a restaurant on board
VANDA2_161129_148.JPG: Building of the financial police
The bridge leading to it is called the Bridge of Arts
VANDA2_161129_156.JPG: Skopje 2014 -- New headquarters of the National Water Supply and administration office
VANDA2_161129_162.JPG: Skopje 2014 - One of four monumental lions on a bridge
VANDA2_161129_168.JPG: Skopje 2014 -- One of the giant mothers near the statue of Philip II of Macdedon
VANDA2_161129_195.JPG: Porta Macedonia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Porta Macedonia (Macedonian: Порта Македонија) is a triumphal arch located on Pella Square in Skopje, Macedonia. Construction started in 2011 and was completed in January 2012.
The arch is 21 meters in height, and cost EUR 4.4 million. Its author is Valentina Stefanovska, sculptor who made several other grandiose monuments from Skopje 2014 project, including the statue dedicated to Alexander the Great officially named "Warrior on a Horse." During the opening ceremony, the Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski admitted that he personally is the instigator of the Skopje 2014 plan.
The arch is dedicated to 20 years of Macedonian independence and its outer surface is covered in 193 m2 of reliefs carved in marble, depicting scenes from the history of Macedonia. It also contains interior rooms, one of which has a function of state-owned souvenir shop, as well as elevators and stairs providing public access to the roof, allegedly intended as space for weddings.
The arch is facing criticism for its high cost. It is designed to match the almost equally tall statue of "Alexander the Great", erected in the capital's central square in summer 2011. Both constructions are part of the government-funded project named "Skopje 2014" with an estimated unofficial price tag €500 million. This considered, many Macedonians believe Porta Macedonia will encourage tourism. The Greek Foreign Ministry has lodged an official complaint to authorities in the Republic of Macedonia following the inauguration of the arch which features images of historical figures including Alexander the Great.
VANDA2_161129_215.JPG: Skopje 2014 - Prometheus and the Shrine to the Eternal Flame
VANDA2_161129_243.JPG: Skopje 2014 -- One of the lions around Alexander's fountain
VANDA2_161129_397.JPG: Skopje 2014 - New archaeological museum at night
VANDA2_161129_412.JPG: Protesters with bilingual signs and Macedonian & Albanian flag
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2016 photos: Equipment this year: I continued to use my Fuji XS-1 cameras but, depending on the event, I also used a Nikon D7000.
Seven relatively short trips this year:
two Civil War Trust conference (Gettysburg, PA and West Point, NY, with a side-trip to New York City),
my 11th consecutive San Diego Comic-Con trip (including sites in Utah, Nevada, and California),
a quick trip to Michigan for Uncle Wayne's funeral,
two additional trips to New York City, and
a Civil Rights site trip to Alabama during the November elections. Being in places where people died to preserve the rights of minority voters made the Trumputin election even more depressing.
Number of photos taken this year: just over 610,000.
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