Skopje, 24 April 2025 (MIA) — Ljubljana's Museum of Contemporary Art Metelkova will put on display a selection of 87 works of naïve art, mostly by Macedonian artists, from the collection of Skopje's Museum of Contemporary Art. They were chosen as part of the "Weaving Worlds: Collections in Conversation" museum collaboration project of two complementary exhibitions, the first of which opens Thursday and will be on view through early February in Ljubljana.

Also including works by artists from Brazil, Poland, Bolivia, Sudan, Uruguay, Albania, Japan, South Africa, Iran, Cuba, Spain and Romania, the exhibit showcases works made from natural materials, which reflect the artists' advocacy for nature, organizers say.

The "Weaving Worlds: Collections in Conversation" project is dedicated to the emancipation of media and explores the relationship between culture and nature while critically addressing environmental issues in the era of capitalism, they say.

All the works on display were created in the mid-20th century and they "testify to the endless enjoyment of the blessings of nature" as opposed to today's "anthropocentric domination of nature under the influence of capitalist appetites," according to organizers.

"The Anthropocene, or Capitalocene, characterized by humanity’s overwhelming impact on nature fueled by capitalism’s excessive appetite for growth, has driven the planet’s ecosystems to the brink of collapse," they say.

"Could it be that as we face ecological catastrophe, we are now also seeking refuge in the rare and invaluable practices where humans live in harmony with nature?

"What lessons might the soil, water, discarded trees, wool, and the broader living world — the nonhuman — teach us if we listened carefully?

"If we shift our perspective from usurpers to collaborators, can we foster an ethical relationality that nurtures interconnected networks with all forms of life?"

The art show is made up of works by Mohammed Ahmed Abdalla Abbaro, Makedonka Andonova, Tome Andreevski, Max Aruquipa Chambi, Maria Auxiliadora da Silva, Vladimir Avramchev, Borka Avramova, Antun Bahunek, Stjepan Bastalec, Ibrahim Bedi, Maria Bonomi, Janko Brašić, Gjorgji Capev, Rimer Cardillo, Peter Clarke, Waldemar de Andrade e Silva, Silvia de Leon Charleo, Evgenija Demnievska, Ladyr Harris Domschke - Pulu, Vadim Fishkin, Jordan Grabul, Ion Grigorescu, Lourdes Guanabara, Petar Hadzhi Boshkov, Yozo Hamaguchi, Josip Horvat, Dragoslava Janeva, Vojko Janevski, Goce Josifov Rombo, Milosav Jovanović, Lúcia Kahn, Risto Kalchevski, Sead Kazanxhiu, Stjepan Kičin, Jano Knjazović, Dimche Koco, Dimitar Kondovski, Ivan Kuzmiak, Ivan Lacković Croata, Wifredo Lam, Mihail Lazarov, Borivoje Maksimović, Done Miljanovski, Manolo Millares, Dushko Mishevski, Vangel Naumovski, Adzem Nihat, Petre Nikoloski, Jolanta Owidzka, Julije Papić, Dushan Perchinkov, Rade Perchuklievski, Juçara Pimenta de Pádua, Ilija Prokopiev, Kristina Pulejkova, Ivan Rabuzin, Ismet Ramikjevikj, Vilma Ramos, Hanibal Salvaro, Józef Sarnowski, Simon Shemov, Tomo Shijak, Gjorgje Shijakovikj, Helenos Silva, Matija Skurjeni, Krste Slavkovski, Petar Smajić, Maja Smrekar, Pedro Soares Fogaça, Mira Spirovska, Mena Spirovska Menche, Gligor Stefanov, Dushko Stojanovski, Stjepan Stolnik, The Šempas Family, Igor Toshevski, Geraldo Trindade Leal, Marija Tusha Iljovska, Unknown artist, Simon Uzunovski, Patricia Velasco Wallin, Jano Venjarski, Ondrej Venjarski, Jernej Vilfan, Gordana Vrencoska, Franjo Vujčec, and Bogosav Živković.

It was curated by Ivana Vaseva, Blagoja Varoshanec, Iva Dimovski, Vladimir Janchevski and Bojana Piškur. It will be followed by a reciprocal exhibition of works from the collection of Ljubljana's Museum of Contemporary Art Metelkova in Skopje in the fall.

The "Weaving Worlds: Collections in Conversation" project was supported by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. mr/