Curated by: Zoran Erić
Venue: Museum of Contemporary Art – Skopje
Date: December 19, 2024 at 12:00 (Inauguration with the artist)
Panel Discussion: December 21, 2024 at 20:00
Mischa Kuball’s If Walls Could Tell is a thought-provoking transnational project that explores the permeability of art institutions and their relationship with broader social groups within communities. The project features three symbolic museum walls installed in public spaces across Southeastern Europe, starting in Sarajevo and Bucharest earlier this year, and now reaching Skopje. These walls act as temporary, accessible stages for local inhabitants, allowing them to express themselves through various forms of cultural and urban expressions. The walls are then returned to the museum, where the traces of these public interventions are preserved, prompting deeper reflection on the interactions between civil society, museums, and art institutions.
The project poses crucial questions: Can civil society thrive without museums? Does this challenge the role of cultural institutions in preserving cultural heritage for future generations? How do citizens, artists, and museums interact in the creation of collaborative artwork in public spaces?
Mischa Kuball’s work challenges traditional boundaries, inviting the public to participate actively as co-authors in the creative process. The project encourages civic engagement and raises important political and social questions about freedom of expression in a public space.
A panel discussion will take place on December 21, 2024, at 20:00 at MoCA Skopje, where speakers will address the role of participatory art in engaging citizens and its potential to catalyze debates on the creation of monuments and the transformation of urban public spaces.
Panel Discussion Details:
- Topic: Two-way alley – Melting down the museum fortification
- Participants:
- Sofia Grigoriadou – Visual artist & social anthropologist
- Vladimir Janchevski – Curator, Museum of Contemporary Art, Skopje
- Slobodanka Stevceska – Visual artist, OPA and Faculty of Fine Arts, ‘SS. Cyril and Methodius’ University, Skopje
- Prof. Nebojsa Vilic – Art historian, Faculty of Dramatic Arts, ‘SS. Cyril and Methodius’ University, Skopje
- Moderator: Zoran Erić, curator and PhD
The project is supported by the Goethe Institute, Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (bpb), and Kunststiftung NRW. It is organized in cooperation with various cultural institutions across Southeastern Europe, including Ars Aevi Museum of Contemporary Art (Sarajevo), The National Museum of the Romanian Peasant (Bucharest), and others.
The exhibition will be open to the public and is a unique opportunity to engage with contemporary art that blurs the lines between institutionalized art spaces and public life.
