Skopje, 5 September 2026 (MIA) –  An exhibition titled "The Refugees Cycle" by Borko Lazeski (1917–1993), one of Macedonian modern art's most prominent figures, opens Saturday evening at the Museum of the City of Skopje. 

The exhibition presents Lazeski's "Refugees" cycle created during his period in Paris. The works were inspired by the exodus of Macedonians from Aegean Macedonia during the Greek Civil War.

"Through motifs of exile, separation, loss and displacement, Lazeski translates historical events into a powerful artistic statement on human suffering and war," organizers said.

According to them, although local writers and filmmakers have frequently explored the fate of Macedonians from Aegean Macedonia, the theme appears relatively rarely in the works of modern Macedonian visual artists, giving Lazeski's "Refugees Cycle" a unique and important place in Macedonian art history.

The exhibition features some 20 works, predominantly on paper; some monumental pieces; and preparatory studies. Highlights include the 1946 fresco "Refugees," created in Paris and now destroyed but preserved through photographs, as well as a painting of the same name held in the National Gallery collection. 

The show and its accompanying publication are part of an ongoing initiative to research, document and reevaluate Lazeski's multifaceted artistic legacy. The exhibition was organized by the IKON Association for Culture. mr/