The starting point of the thesis about the Balkanian man is the stereotype about him. The exhibition is consisted of three art works [independently produced and exposed on three different exhibitions]. The idea is to connect them in a ?story? about todays position of this stereotype. Arranged in three-wall space/room it expresses the following:

• - left wall: Robert Jankuloski '12 Silver Soldiers' (12 framed photographies
  105x50 cm)
• - central wall: Monika Moteska 'Challanger', 1999 (video installation: video, screen (large size), knives and sound
• - right wall: Stanimir Nedelkoski 'Striptease' (3 framed photographies, 70x50 cm)
  

This has to be a Balkan story about the condition of the man. The central subject of the project is the woman. The most effective truth that can be told about the position and the esence of the man's behaviour is seen through his treatment from the woman's side. Somehow, the stereotype of the man as a warrior threated in the work of Jankuloski is additionaly upgraded with the presenvce of the twelwe images of soldiers that were documented on the territory of Macedonia in the last 100 years. You can find Bulgarian, Partisan, German, Komita, Turkish, ARM (Army of Republic of Macedonia), UCK (KLA ? Kosovo Liberation Army), ANA (Albanian National Army), Serbian, etc. soldiers enableing the myth of the Balkan wars as a result of the male conception of the world. This image/ stereotype is influencing the work of Moteska to open the discussion about the female under the represon of the male. She is becoming a 'target' for the man's knives trowing. As it is in the circuses, the man is always the one who trows, and the women (usualy some beauty) is the one who faces the adrenalitic game of life and death: she is the one who suffers, who pays the adrenalined psychotic condition of man who improves his superiority upon the skills not to make the mistake and hit the women. But, the 'story' has a radical shift in the oposite direction when one takes a look oon the actual and the real condition of the man's pride: the exposition of a pure bodily presentation affront of the gotten crazy crowded women in the streap-bar. This representation of the man in the Nedelkoski's work clears up the situation with this metaphor of the streaper - the repressed man.

So, the project deals with a dual situation of the position of the man at the Balkan. From one side you have his position in th society, in the outer world of the family: he is the representative of the family in the society, in the public, in the restaurants where he must impress and improve his powerty and allmightness; but, in the very same time, he is the slipper - man at home where hi is under pressure of the strong personality of the women/wife/spouse as one responible for the home. This double sided condition of the man in his social (outer) and private (inner)behaviuor speaks about his in-troubled position.
If one takes now in concideration the position of the woman, s/he can come to the same conclusion: as a warrior, the man protects her by the prepareness to give his life , as a primordial due and understanding of the gender. Then, when he trows the nives, he expresses how much he is carefull not to hurt her: the perfection of the skillness of knive-trowing is not to hit the women, but to hit as much as it is possible but not hurting her. And, as final, as a slipper-man at home or as a dancer in the bar , he is treated as a slave or for fun and excitement.

The question that arises in such a binomical/dual position of the man at the Balkan results with an understanding that the woman is not repressed, but rather most respsected one. In other words, I will rather speak about beign a man at the Balkans between the stereotype and actuality. And if it is as such, then can we think about some deconstructions of the stereotypes about the Balkanian man?

about

participants

exhibitions

partners

events

media

support

related

links

bulgarian