Lida Sherafatmand: What is the role of art in human civilization, where does the need for art come from and what is its primary purpose or why is art?
Milko Nestoroski: At the beginning of my career as a potential artist, I want to deal with some of these questions whose answers I consider to be crucial and as unwritten rules to be considered when creating any work of art. These answers I think every potential author should first of all look for in themselves, thinking about their needs, desires, feelings, thoughts etc. and their connection to their own creative drive. To ask themselves what are the most sincere personal reasons why they want to create art and what it would be like. Personally, in the search for these answers, I decided to go back to my childhood, for to find in my worldview back then the roots of my current creative tendencies. Doing so, I came to creating works which have to deal with questions about the nature of art and the creative drive, but also the characteristics of what I, as I am, have to offer in my expression through fine art in order to communicate through aesthetic experiences contents that do not concern only the artist but the human being in general. The works I present at this exhibition reflect my intimate states and contemplations that are part of my simultaneous exploration of myself and the outside world. The content of the paintings mainly consists of motifs of nature abound with trees and human figures or portraits set in such an environment. The narration in them consists in the very choice of the places and the characters of the people, as well as the attitude of the figures to the nature that surrounds them and the clothes they wear. All of these elements are incorporated and utilized in a way that delivers a certain atmosphere filled with sensory content appropriate to an idea, a personal reflection on topics related to existential and ethical issues, which I find useful to share.
As for the figures, on the other hand, I perceive them perceived as entities that have a strong urge to be manifested through my work, as an author with specificities appropriate to their nature, by appearing before me in the form of inspirational objects and initiating a process of self-creation or self-accumulation in an anthropomorphic whole. . In a closed system, in which the object which is the source of the inspiration is itself the bearer of the intervention, they are the embodiment of the inspiration itself and carry no other content apart from their entity. That's why I call them muses, which in a compressed form embody the main character traits, motives and tendencies that define my work, but are also the instigators of my own creative drive.
What I primarily want to encourage amongst perceivers is the idea of how everyday things, objects, phenomena we come across, if our imagination is active, can also be seen with very different eyes so the ordinary world around us can become more vibrant, beautiful and maybe even more realistic, which can also open the door for finding solutions for the everyday problems we face or the difficulties we deal with.
The earliest work shown at my exhibition was done 4 years ago, while the earliest, half a year ago, though each of the works was born or became visible long before it was physically manifested. I find the roots of these works in memories of strong childhood impressions and fascinations, which I understand as the first moments of self-awareness (the first encounters of what I find fascinating with my pure child essence.)
Paintings are made in oil on canvas technique, while several of the three-dimensional figures are an intervention on ready-made object, in this case a cordon, with a feather and various decorative elements (found objects) added in so as to form an entity. The remaining figures follow the cordon in principle of form (appearance) and structure, but are handmade and thus represent sculptures of alternative materials (woolen threads, strings, lamps, cones, beads, textiles, etc.).
I might not exhibit them in the same arrangement, but some of these works may be shown in the context of another concept close to that of this exhibition in which the focus is on different points that are part of the same whole, or the same concept could be represented through a different set of works.
In the literal sense of using painting materials, I can trace memories back to preschool age.
I can say that my work is a fluid living matter which is constantly evolving, with its own stages and it is an inextricable part of my existence. New works are constantly on the lookout, and once they form a whole, their exhibition will follow.
As a child, I grew up in circumstances where I was in constant contact and relation with nature. I grew up by the quay of the Black Drim River that springs from Lake Ohrid in the immediate vicinity of my home, in a valley surrounded by quickly and easily accessible mountains. From my youngest age, from my grandmother I got the first knowledge of botany, from frequent visits to the countryside I was introduced to agriculture and poultry, while when having family walks to mountain villages, I've been enjoying the beauty of the mountain, its untouched nature, forests and wild and I have formed a close relationship with them. From today's perspective I understand and rejoice at the importance this relationship has for me and my development as a person. I am fascinated by natural forms, finding the roots of every kind of human creation in them, experiencing nature as a supreme creator.
My relationship with the town I live in is defined by the description already given of its location and is closely linked to my relationship with nature. As for the spirit of the town, I would describe it as characterized by poetry, a sense of relief and inspiration that comes from the direct exposure to and testimony of the pulse of nature, its processes, various ecosystems, picturesque sights and divine landscapes.
My country is small in territory, but with its location in the central part of the Balkan Peninsula, in the past and today it represents a crossroad primarily between the cultures of the eastern and the western civilization. Aside from the political reality of a transitional state facing many crises in the fields of economy, law and the standard of living in general, there is a sense of relative freedom and peace, and it is also a land of abundant natural riches and beauties and great cultural heritage of all the peoples who have been present in this territory throughout history. Although there are tendencies towards modernization, still to this day, there are still remnants of the ancient ways of living and traditions, but also the challenges brought by disorder in the society. In terms of art, I find this situation quite favorable because it allows us to follow the trends of the modern world, technology and globalization, while at the same time being sufficiently isolated from them, having the examples of the past and the luxury of a disordered society and poor institutional support yet with a great abundance of natural resources, which all in all inevitably fosters the need to liberate oneself, become independent and to find creative solutions in the pursuit of self-realization and providing a well-situated existence.
Muse dolls by Milko Nestoroski
(intervention over r eady-mades)