Suzana Milevska The Silkworm Cocoon Gender Difference and the Impact of Visual Culture on Contemporar !

rt in the "alkans The deconstructionist phrase silkworm cocoon was used # $ac%ues Derrida as a metaphor for the interpretation of multila ered and am#i&uous truth that has to #e endlessl unraveled'()( *or me+ this phrase was useful while e,aminin&+ from #oth a &ender and a feminist perspective+ the manifold connotations and the latent awareness of feminist ar&uments concealed in contemporar art from the "alkans' I particularl wish to address the %uestion of feminism in art in the "alkans+ the possi#le differences #etween the crisis in representation in art theor and practice in -ast and .est+ and the specificit of the reciprocal influence of art and visual culture in the -ast' /e&emonial *eminism0 At the ver #e&innin& I wish to emphasize that I assume that the ma1or impact of the ()(Gender Check()( pro1ect will derive from the attempt to answer the %uestion whether art and visual culture in the former -ast differed so si&nificantl from the works and ima&es found in the former .est' Therefore I %uestion the common o#1ection raised # various critics that it would #e wron& when interpretin& the &ender issues within specific cultural conte,ts to use feminist ar&uments #orrowed from so called .estern+ he&emonial+ or colonial feminism'(2( In line with a constructionist understandin& that &ender difference is defined throu&h culturall determined conte,ts+ I completel a&ree that &ender issues in the former -ast and former .est differ+ need to #e culturall distin&uished with ri&or+ and should #e translated with reference to the societal+ political+ and reli&ious differences #etween the two sociopolitical s stems' /owever the %uestion remains whether there can #e a uni%ue and distinct methodolo& and theor that specificall tackles &endered art and cultural phenomena from the -ast' It mi&ht even #e ar&ued that an call for an isolated and radicall different set of theories would resonate as et another essentialist detour that assumes that women in the -ast are radicall different' 1

That is not yet the same as to say that certain differences and adaptations should not #e made when interpretin& ima&es and art works from the -ast and from the .est+ and when discussin& how these ima&es reflect on each other' I merel emphasize the need to use certain relevant ar&uments from developed feminism when the are relevant+ while notin& also that an methodolo& emplo ed in the specific historical and cultural conte,t of the former -ast was alwa s alread culturall transformed within a different voca#ular and cultural and social conditions' I guess that one of the reasons for restrictin& the research and presentation of works and ima&es from former -astern -urope to such thematic e,hi#itions as ()(Gender Check()( is that it is deemed necessar to hi&hli&ht the specificities of art and visual culture ima&es comin& from this &eopolitical re&ion #efore and after the fall of the "erlin .all' /owever the assumption that there is somethin& so different and distin&uisha#le is %uestiona#le3 it remains somethin& that the e,hi#ition+ the research+ and the te,ts still need to prove' My argument begins by noting that artworks and ima&es from visual culture+ wherein &ender difference and ine%ualit can #e shown to #e manifested throu&h careful feminist considerations+ and works that were overtl informed # feminism often e,isted in parallel' !lso the ima&es from the visual culture of #oth the -ast and .est 4e'&' adverts+ ma&azine covers+ illustrations+ record covers5 were circulatin& and intertwined even #ehind the Iron Curtain+ and one of the relevant methodolo&ical %uestions would #e whether and how the influenced each other' The usual assumption that feminism in communist societies was not necessar #ecause of the emancipated position of women in these societies has alread #een tackled elsewhere'(6( Therefore I will limit m research to specific e,amples wherein I ar&ue that the &endered interpretation was or was not clearl invested in the ori&inal work and where the works7 concept was aimed to supplement the lack of awareness of #ackwardness and contradictions in &ender relations within the artworks created # women in the "alkans' 8epresentation Trou#les9 .est+ -ast+ and the "alkans One particular discussion from the 1990s that I still find relevant for my argument for similarities between East and est was the debate that started when the !ritish feminist art critic "aty #eepwell published her te$t %&assy' or not()*+* This was a critical essay written about the e$hibition ,-.Body as Membrane,-. /"unsthallen "laedefabri-' Odense' 199012 3

4oo-ing at comparisons both between 1950s and 1990s feminist art and across different national socio6economic structures' #eepwell located the differences mostly between the European and Anglo6American reception of women7s art2 8er main point was that recent body and performance art and its revival could offer a possible site for gendering art as opposed to the neutrali9ed art of previous women artists2 The danger' according to #eepwell /revo-ing 4ucy 4ippard7s arguments and phraseology from the 1950s1 is that the reception of most women7s art dealing with the body is caught up in the vicious circle of being both narcissistic and e$hibitionist' given that it is seen as arising from %a neurotic dissatisfaction with self /4ippard7s phrase12*:* The -ey ;uestion in this debate became whether the art of women is able to escape the patriarchal structures of interpretation and whether it can offer any possibilities for liberation2 A criti;ue of representation and stereotypes of femininity turned out to be very relevant and provocative2 After publishing "aty #eepwell7s te$t' ,-.Siksi,-. maga9ine received several articles2 The most stri-ing was the te$t by "ristine &tiles' who testified that her essay about how women7s art is perceived by others had been cut from the catalogue of the ,-.Body as Membrane,-. e$hibition2*0* According to &tiles the reason that her article was censored /or <ust %edited') as was argued by the editors1 was that its tone was too %angry and defensive) in the way it critici9ed how the participants of the show perceived and represented their own bodies2*5* The perception of women7s art by both the general public and a professional audience is a problem that is lin-ed to the artists7 own conception and self6perception' because they are part of the same conte$t2 According to Tan<a =rum7s article that followed #eepwell and &tiles' though' the most important problem in any society' when considering the representation of the different genders' is not <ust who has the power to represent2 It is also a ;uestion of how firmly the semiotic order of meaning that directs the way the signs are read is established' %as if it produces the same signifying structure whether created by men or women2)*>* ?ritics from Eastern European post6socialist societies often sta-e out a difference between the representational regimes in the est and East that is based on the fact that the legal status and social rights of women were much more developed in the communist societies2 A new role for the socialist woman was invented2 This newly invented female %character) was needed in order to employ the female half of the society in the hard battle for new values2 omen were seen as

both mothers and as the central pivot of education' and the governments of the new states were clever enough to use these strategies as the best way to raise a new generation2 In my view the problem with this -ind of differentiation of the power of representation in East and est does not address the fact that there was no real change in the chain of signification and the semiotic order' as this ran much deeper than the new images and visions2 As Edit ,s.AndrAs,s. has stated in her te$t %Bender Minefield)C %&ocialism and its welfare policies did cut bac- gender6based economic discrimination' but this happened at the cost of the state appropriating the so called Dwomen7s ;uestion7 and degrading it to an economic one2 In the fight of the opposition too' any -ind of division was subordinated to the shared struggle2)*9* hat' then' about the need to readdress the ;uestion of semiotics and the way signs were interpretedE is this not what we should be doing when researching our past( hile laws and social policies favored a new image of women who were not only seen as mothers and wives but also as e;ual creators of a new society' the images spo-e a different language2 In the East' women artists were among the main victims of the dissimulating power of this economic deliberation' as they mostly believed that there was no need for reflection on gender difference and its representations2 The symbolic simulation of social and economic e;uality through proliferated images of women wor-ers' scientists' and leaders overwrote the need for a critical approach toward more comple$ gender issues2*10* It seems that the arguments offered in Fudith !utler7s ,-.The Psychic Life of Power,-. may shed some light on this non6decipherable pu99le2*11* !utler e$amined how it was possible that' even though the power of representation was placed into their own hands' it turned into a prison for women2 &he considers the thesis that for the constitution of the sub<ect an e$ternal power is needed' because the formation of the self is conditioned by the e$istence of some forceful power that creates consciousness and the conscienceGpsyche' which then anchors that power within sub<ectivity2 E$actly this vicious circle was at wor- in the socialist societiesC in as far as the power of representation was deliberately given up' leading to deprivation of the e$ternal power that could have helped women to establish a critical view of gender policy2 8owever this did not necessarily wor- the same way in every Eastern European society2 Even within the e$6Hugoslavian republics the awareness of feminist issues and regimes of representations was not moving at the same pace2 Ieflecting on local differences regarding feminist theory within different regions in the East and particularly the different Hugoslav republics in the 1950s' the &lovenian theorist Marina ,s.BrJiniK,s. made this distinctionC +

As opposed to !elgrade and Lagreb' where declared feminists /,s.Marana,s. ,s.NapiK,s.' Iada ,s.Ive-oviK,s.' #un<a ,s.!laJeviK,s.' !o<ana ,s.Ne<iK,s.' etc21 had been active in theory since the 1950s' &lovenia had to wait a further decade' until the emergence of the subcultural scene2 In the 1950s' due to connections with the feminist %world) order and using its significant counter6cultural channels' !elgrade organi9ed a number of penetrating manifestations in the field of arts and culture2 It was under the influence of feminist theory that the president of the &"? /&tudent7s ?ultural ?entre1 in !elgrade' #un<a ,s.!laJeviK,s.' organi9ed the famous April Meetings /Aprils-i susreti12*13* This brief outline of the differences in the reception of feminism within different social conte$ts points to a large gapE this is even more valid in the arts than in theory2 Although on the various !al-an art scenes artists of both genders were active in varying degrees throughout the twentieth century' it is a more recent phenomenon that an increasing number of e$hibitions by women artists have been organi9ed both at home' within national borders' and abroad' in the international art scenes2 Oevertheless' not all of these women artists addressed gender issues in their own wor-' perhaps because they were concerned with maintaining their status in their own patriarchal societies2*1@* !ecause many women artists from different generations have received more attention and e$posure recently' distinctions based on self6awareness can be made much more easily today than in the past2 In addition to highly renowned women artists from the !al-ans such as Marina ,s.AbramoviK,s. /P&A' born in &erbia1 and &an<a ,s.Ive-oviK,s. /?roatia1' the international art scene has become ac;uainted with more and more women artists from various !al-an countries' who have engaged in gender debatesC Ma<a ,s.!a<eviK,s.' #anica ,s.#a-iK,s.' ,s.Qe<la,s. ,s."ameriK,s.' A9ra ,s.A-Rami<a,s. /!osnia1E Slasta #elimar' Andrea ,s."u<unTiK,s.' "ristina 4e-o /?roatia1E Tan<a ,s.Osto<iK,s.' Milica ,s.TomiK,s. /&erbia1E Mar<etica ,s.NotrT,s.' #uba &ambolec' Marina ,s.BrJiniK,s. U Aina ,s.Qmid,s.' Apoloni<a ,s.QusterRiK,s. /&lovenia1E Aneta &vetieva' ,s.Maneta,s. Sangeli' Is-ra #imitrova' 8ristina Ivanos-a /Macedonia1E ,s.AyVe,s. Er-men' Esra Ersen' 8ale Tenger /Tur-ey1E #aniela "ostova' !oryana Iossa /!ulgaria12 Many of these women artists consciously or subconsciously deal with gender issues' even though not necessarily from a feminist perspective2 One of the few artists who addressed gender issues very early in her wor- and from a distinct rigorous and critical feminist stance :

was' of course' &an<a ,s.Ive-oviK,s. /born 19+912 8er series of archival wor-s ,-.Double Life,-. /195:1' ,-.Tragedy of a Venus,-. /195:1' ,-.Sweet Life,-. /195:W501' ,-.#iary,-. /195:W501' ,-.Before and After,-. /195:W501' ,-. ight Tiers,-. /19501' ,-.The Black !ile,-. /19501' and others from the same period became to-ens of feminist art in e$6Hugoslavia2*1+* These wor-s represent rare e$amples where feminist interpretation was neither premature nor e$aggerated' and where it did not overwhelm the initial concept of the artist2 An obvious target in these wor-s was the power of media and their influence in the everyday life of women in Hugoslavia at the time2 Iegardless of any e;uality gained through sociopolitical and legal means the media perpetuated the same old patriarchal values with its visual means' and this was critically targeted by ,s.Ive-oviK,s.2 Actually ,s.Ive-oviK,s. reveals the mechanism through which women become ob<ectified via the masculini9ed and consumerist ga9e of the media even in societies that were historically critical of gender ine;uality2 "nowing that Hugoslavia' and particularly ?roatia in the 1950s were mar-ed by liberalism and by a more rela$ed approach toward consumerism it comes as no surprise that the proliferation of stoc- images during that period increased and that advertising in maga9ines and on public TS flourished2 Moreover' it seems that by importing advertising the media brought in those less sensitive regimes of representation of women that spar-ed ,s.Ive-oviK7s,s. interest2 Nerhaps even more intriguing from the perspective of the influence of popular and media imagery is ,s.Ive-oviK7s,s. video ,-.Personal "uts,-. /19>3' @C+0 min bUw and color' sound12 In a very peculiar way it also lin-s the image' face' and event2 The video is made of one close up of a woman' the artist herself' cutting holes into a blac- stoc-ing that covers her face2 Each %cut) reveals a part of her face and also a short se;uence of the Hugoslav state television documentary program ,-.The #istory of $ugosla%ia,-.2 hat at the beginning was completely hidden is revealed by the end' as if the history of publicly distributed images of communist achievements was simultaneously cutting through the artist and ma-ing its way to the complete unveiling' the unfolding of the historic %sil-worm cocoon2) The structure of the video somehow recalls a diary in which the %sub<ect) is ,-.becoming,-.' is revealed and thus becomes visible in parallel to the occurrence of the political events2 The personal and political are interwoven and reciprocally determined2 Therefore' the personal %diary) cannot be considered and understood without the state %diary2) The title suggests that

each of the historical events cuts a hole through the body of the sub<ect' a wound in the personal that is therefore constructed as a result of this %tattooing) of media images2 Marina ,s.AbramoviK,s. /born 19+01' on the other hand' has never emphasi9ed any -ind of feminist commitment in her wor-' even though her wor-s reali9ed together with Play do permit interpretations of gender issues and their intertwining with ideological differences2 Narticularly interesting would be a comprehensive analysis of their <oint performance ,-."ommunist Body&"a'italist Body,-. /19591' where nothing much different happens on either side of the e;uation' while the two artists7 bodies are covered with blan-ets2*1:* One could argue that in a similar way to this basically essentialist wor-' ,s.AbramoviK7s,s. more recent wor- is even more firmly trapped in patriarchal stereotypes and that it has therefore often been a target of feminist criti;ue2 Therefore' here I wish to address one of ,s.AbramoviK7s,s. lesser -nown e$hibitions' one of her most personali9ed and self6critical pro<ects' since in it she addressed gender in the East through her own personal biography2 In 1995 Marina ,s.AbramoviK,s. presented a solo e$hibition in the Museum of the ?ity of &-op<e' her first e$hibition in the !al-ans since she left Hugoslavia2 The museum turned to be an e$citing space for her pro<ect ,-.The Bridge(k) /curated by &u9ana Milevs-a1**10* At that time in the bac- rooms of the museum there were still remains of what used to be the local Museum of the Ievolution2 Thus soon after her arrival in &-op<e ,s.AbramoviK,s. ditched her previous idea to simply show the installation ,-."leaning the #ouse,-.2 Instead she conceived a special archival installation consisting of thirteen video installations including museum ob<ects and television monitors2 The e$hibition was spread all around the premises of the former monumental museum display with its dusty abandoned collection of socialist realism2 hile using the museum7s displays as bac-drops for her pro<ect ,s.AbramoviK,s. soon developed a concept devoted to her troubled relationship with her mother' who had been a long6term director of a similar but much larger Museum of the Ievolution in !elgrade' the capital of Hugoslavia2 Thus she divided the museum7s premises into two parts' as-ing that only one of them to be cleaned thoroughly' as the obvious reference to her mother obeying the patriarchal order2 The most stri-ing biographical e$hibit of all was an installation of her two videos in which she cuts five6point stars on her own bellyC the monitor on the left showed the shoot cut from her performance ,-.Tomas+ Li's,-. in 195:' and on the right was its rema-e done in the performance ,-.Biogra'hy,-. of 199:2 The two monitors were placed in front of the museum7s own installation consisting of 00'000 red bulbs 5

that signified the blood of the victims of the Hugoslav partisan revolution in

orld

ar II2

Nerhaps this was ,s.AbramoviK7s,s. first e$plicit homage to her recent ma-ing up with her mother /according to our conversation in 19951 after they fell out before her leaving Hugoslavia2 8ence the title of the whole pro<ect ,-.The Bridge,-. was multifaceted and sil-worm6li-e itself2 ,s.AbramoviK,s. said that her strict communist upbringing by both parents /both her father and her mother were high6ran-ing officials in the Nartisans7 Army and ?ommunist Narty and were directly involved in the revolution1 was one of the most compelling reasons for her to leave her home country in the 1950s2 The image of the strange museum monument to the partisans and the victims of the Neople7s 4iberation ar obviously activated ,s.AbramoviK7s,s. memory in which communist %popular) visual culture played a great role /public monuments' red stars' etc21 but was also lin-ed to and intertwined with personal memories of her mother2*15* Dan&erous Supplement():( In more recent years' women artists have more fre;uently addressed political and social issues directly in their wor-s' after the conflicts that tore Hugoslavia apart and during the difficult process of transition2 8owever' the unresolved and more urgent issues of national politics' war or globali9ation' which generally are attributed and interpreted as typically male power games' ma-e any attempt for a debate on feminism loo- somehow outstretched and irrelevant2 In countries troubled by regional instability' problems of national identity /for e$ample' in the case of the Iepublic of Macedonia where even the constitutional name is not yet internationally recogni9ed1' social' economic' and political issues have drawn artists away from personal or gender issues2*19* 8owever' the male imagery surrounding the artists inevitably overwrote and cut across even the most gender6neutral and politically conceptuali9ed pro<ects2 A clear e$ample of this is ,s.Maneta,s. Sangeli /born 190@1 and her pro<ect ,-.Macedonian Social Scul'ture,-. /19901' a part of the group pro<ect ,-.Li,uor Amnii -,-. /19901' curated by &u9ana Milevs-a2 Although the overall pro<ect was based on the theme of amniotic fluid as the border between the body of the mother and child+ ,s.Maneta,s. Sangeli focused on the Macedonian national identity problem' 8er metaphorical interpretation of the e$hibition7s main aim was to discuss the problem of the national identity of the newborn and yet nameless country /according to !ertrand Iussel7s theory of descriptions The Xormer Hugoslav Iepublic of Macedonia is not a name but only a description12 >

The pro<ect consisted of three installations in different rooms at the main venue' ?hifte Amam' a fifteenth6century Tur-ish bath in &-op<e2 In the first room' there were si$ blac- and white photographs' three on one wall and three identical' blurred ones on the opposing wall2 These were life6si9e photographs of the minister of foreign affairs' the archbishop of the Macedonian Orthodo$ ?hurch' and a well6-nown' local underground figure' !as-im Ademi' who at the time was drug addict2 The composition of the three standing' blurred figures in the photographs was an ironic reference to the 8oly Trinity' and was meant to emphasi9e a ma<or problem of the government' namely its alleged involvement in illegal drugs activity2 Ademi was placed in the central position' thus alluding to the more recent %religion2) This was an obvious reference to the chaotic situation in the country where neither the state nor the church was recogni9ed in the wider international conte$t and where the images of the male leaders and dealers were contrasted and ;uestioned by being put ne$t to each other2*30* The (k)Li,uor Amnii -(k) pro<ect was greatly affected by a number of e$ternal circumstances' particularly the male' chauvinistic' bureaucratic tactics of the director of the festival and other men /friends' artists' partners1 involved in the pro<ect in different ways' which provo-ed me /even though I am a curator and not an artist1 to create a three6dimensional comment on gender relations2*31* Nro<ects such as (k)Bodily !luids,-. /19991 and (k)Mothers+ "lub,-. /30011' both by Sioleta ,s.Yapovs-a,s. /born 19051' the artist from Macedonia living in Melbourne' may provide strong input for a better understanding of the relevance of cultural difference in the framewor- of gendered art production2*33* ,s.Yapovs-a,s. is one of the rare artists in Macedonia /actively e$hibiting in the 1990s1' perhaps because of her Australian education' who clearly drew a distinction in her wor- between an essentialist and a constructionist understanding of gender difference2 In both pro<ects she addressed the cultural difference as a basis for a different approach to motherhood' the mother7s body' and the whole process of bringing up children2 The rearing of her three children in Australia entailed breast6feeding of her babies in public' learning how to use nursing pads' and membership in a mothers7 club2 All that affected her emancipation as a mother from stereotypical understanding and imagery of motherhood2 At the same time she also developed as a woman artist and not only made a worthat incorporated used nursing pads /that at that time were not yet being used by young women in Macedonian1 but also went on interviewing mothers in Macedonia and Australia in order to research the determination of motherhood in different cultural conte$ts2 9

In 1990 4il<ana B<u9elova /born 19@:1' one of the few woman artists of older generations active in the contemporary art scene in Macedonia' started her long6term pro<ect ,-. ternal .eturn,-.2 &he had decided to devote a pro<ect to both her mother' who had reared her two brothers and herself alone' and her father #imitar B<u9elov' who was e$ecuted in 19+: during orld ar II' having been accused of collaborating with the !ulgarian regime during the !ulgarian6Oa9i occupation of the country2 The pro<ect dealt with delicate information that the artist collected in the communist archives after they were open to the public in 30002 The whole pro<ect was conceived as a strong personal statement by a woman who wished her artistic wor- to ma-e a comment on history2 If the man' the father' had the power and position to create the historical and political destiny of a country' and if' even though he was a declared state enemy' was a well -nown figure' it was the mother' through her devotion' support' and sacrifice' who maintained the e$istence of the family' The artist referred directly to ,s.8Zl[ne,s. ?i$ousC % oman must put herself into the te$tGas into the world and into historyGby her own movement) in the title of her e$hibition' ,-./riting Myself,-. /300@' Open Braphic Art &tudio' &-op<e12*3@* In 3001' the international public pro<ect for art and theory ,-."a'ital and 0ender(k) /Museum of the ?ityU&hopping Mall' &-op<eE curated by &u9ana Milevs-a1 ignited a debate about the most urgent issues in the !al-ansC the social and economic changes in relations between genders in the transitional period2 The pro<ects of artists such as Marina ,s.AbramoviK,s.' Ma<a ,s.!a<eviK,s.' #anica ,s.#a-iK,s.U&andra &terle' Marina ,s.BrJiniKU,s.Aina ,s.Qmid,s.' 8ristina Ivanos-aUHane ,s.Yalovs-i,s.' &lavica ,s.FaneRlieva,s.' Tan<a ,s.Osto<iK,s.' and others have all addressed the influence of new consumerism' transition' alienation' and other identitarian and sociopolitical and economic issues on new art imageries2*3+* Narticularly relevant were the posters and the leaflets of Tan<a ,s.Osto<iK7s,s. now famous ,-.Looking for a #usband with 1 Pass'ort,-. /30011 that were distributed by the artist to the huge audience and customers of the shopping mall and the web page created for this pro<ect2 The pro<ect was imagined as an advert in which the artist used the strategies of women from the East who offered themselves as future brides to men from the est in order to enter pre6arranged6marriage deals2 8owever' instead of using the -ind of provocative and se$y imagery usually found in these adverts' the artist presented her s-inny' na-ed' and shaved body to critically address this practice and the gender imbalance inherent to it2 10

A year after the publication of the pro<ect7s reader' a long debate about gender representation and the need for feminist criti;ue spanning three months and five issues of the local wee-ly political maga9ine ,-.!orum,-. confirmed my concerns that not was only se$ism still very much alive in Macedonia' it was also the main standpoint of the local intellectuals2*3:* 8owever' even though patriarchy may still prevails' I insist that what is important for a feminist scholar and artist is to trac- and interpret the impurities and crisis in representational regimes instead of continuing with the predictable %nagging) and stereotypical view of the !al-ans as the most patriarchal region with the most masculine governance2 hen we accept as a fact the crisis of the regimes of representation it enables us to thin- that not only is gender difference a social process of emancipation from patriarchal control but that ,-.becoming gender difference,-. opens up a possibility for a positive agency that is available for singularity' but it remains up to the woman to embrace this potentiality for rewriting patriarchy2*30* The potentiality of gender difference may be interpreted as an intrinsic lac- within the patriarchal sign' and thus always ultimately open to a supplement to or shift in gender identity2 This could help us understand why and how certain changes were ever made in patriarchy2 Nerhaps Bayatri ?ha-ravorty &piva-7s useful but inefficient concept %strategic essentialism) that called for essentialism as a pragmatic means of social subversion and strategy in delicate sociopolitical conte$ts could be supplemented by a concept of %gender agency) that calls for a more active feminist approach toward gender2*35* Oot only is agency the productive concept and force that enables the unfolding of the patriarchal sil-worm cocoon' but it also actively transforms it' as did many of the women artists mentioned in this te$t with their contributions to the process of %writing themselves) within global feminist art and the history of visual culture2 -ndnotes *1* Fac;ues #errida' (k).ogues2 Two ssays of .eason(k)3 trans2 Nascale6Anne !rault and Michael Oaas /&tanfordC &tanford Pniversity Nress' 300:1' 1@12 #3# Xor a precise interpretation of 4eila Ahmed7s %colonial feminism) see !rigit Iommelspacher' %8egemonial Xemininity') in ,-.4ew !eminism2 /orlds of !eminism3 5ueer and 4etworking "onditions,-.' ed2 Marina BrJiniK and Iosa Ieitsamer /SiennaC 4\c-er' 300>1' 19:2 11

#@# !o<ana ,s.Ne<iK,s.' %!al-an for !eginners') in ,-.Primary Documents2 A Sourcebook for astern and "entral uro'ean Art since the -678s,-.' ed2 4aura 8optman and ,s.TomAR,s. Nospis9yl /Oew Hor-C The Museum of Modern Art' 30031' @3:W+0E !o<ana ,s.Ne<iK,s.' %The Morning AfterC Nlavi Iadion' Abstract Art and !ananas') ,-.n9 'arado:a,-.' vol2 10 /30031C 5:W>+E &u9ana Milevs-a' %Xemale Art through the 4oo-ing Blass') ,-.n9'arado:a,-.' issue 5 /19>>1C httpCUUweb2u-online2co2u-Un2parado$aUmilev2htm /accessed Fuly 39' 300912 #+# "aty #eepwell' %&assy' or not() ,-.Siksi,-.3 no2 + /winter 19901C >>W902 #:# Ibid2' >92 #0# "ristine &tiles' %The Empty &logan of &elf6Iepresentation') ,-.Siksi(k)3 no2 1 /spring 19951C >>W902 #5# Ibid2' 902 #># Tania =rum' %Xishy !odies and ?losed Minds') ,-.Siksi(k)' no2 3' /summer 19951C >92 *9* Edit AndrAs' %Bender MinefieldC The 8eritage of the Nast') ,-.n9'arado:a,-.' issue 11 /19991C httpCUUweb2u-online2co2u-Un2parado$aUandras2htm /accessed Fuly 39' 300912 *10* A photograph of a Macedonian woman published in the newspaper ,-.4o%a Makedoni;a,-. in 19+: shows the wor-er !laga Netrova on a bulldo9er2 The caption readsC %!laga Netrova' village woman wor-er on bulldo9er' ?rna Ie-a building site' three times awarded for accomplishing a high normC %8eroini i buldo9er-i) /8eroines and !ulldo9er omen1' ,-.;asnesum;as*blogs'ot*com,-.C httpCUU<asnesum<as2blogspot2comU3005U01Ublog6 post]1105955:91@:5@::3@2html' translated /accessed Fuly 39' 300912 *11* Fudith !utler' ,-.The Psychic Life of Power,-. /&tanfordC &tanford Pniversity Nress' 19951' 100W@12 *13* Marina Br9iniK' ,-.!eminist Premises in Art and the #ard "ore Lesbian :'erience <'enmouth,-.' e$h2 cat2 ,s.ra9stavni salon IotovJ,s. Maribor' 4oJa Ballery' "oper /19991C www2i6i6i6i2orgUautomataUpdfUXeminist Nremises in Art2N#X /accessed April 10' 300912 *1@* Edit ,s.AndrAs,s.' %Bender MinefieldC The 8eritage of the Nast') /see note 912 *1+* Xor more comprehensive insight into Ive-oviK7s wor-s see the te$ts by &ilvia Eiblmayer /561>1' !o<ana ,s.Ne<iK,s./>:610+1' and ,s.OataRa,s. ,s.IliK,s./11961@01 in ,-.San;a ,s.=%eko%iK,s.C Personal "uts(k)' e$h2 cat2 Balerie im Ta$ipalais' ed2 &ilvia Eiblmayer /SiennaC Triton' 300112

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*1:* Marina ,s.AbramoviK,s.' ,-.Most>The Bridge,-.' brochure' The Museum of the ?ity of &-op<e /October' 199512 *10* In this conte$t it is worth mentioning is that there were two tables in the roomC on Marina7s side there was a table with food from the EastC Iussian caviar' vod-a' etc2' and on Play7s side the food was from the nutrition in East and est2 This may spar- an %either essentialist' or constructionist) debate around the main assumptions of this wor-2 The differing emphasis on est could be the -ey to the important conclusion that essentialist and constructionist interpretations of art should be always discussed together and not seen only as contradictory and completely isolated from each other2 *15* This interpretation of the concept of the e$hibition ,-.The Bridge,-. is based on conversations with Marina ,s.AbramoviK,s. during the installation of the e$hibition and was not mentioned in my te$t in the brochure because the brochure was published in advance' before the e$hibition concept was changed2 *1>* %#angerous supplement) is a deconstructionist phrase borrowed from Fac;ues #errida7s ,-.<f 0rammatology(k) that I use as a -ind of indicator that the patriarchal regime of representation was never so homogenous and never prevailed as unchallenged as we tend to thin-2 *19* The %name issue) started when in 1993 Breece ob<ected to the use of %Macedonia) within the constitutional name of the newly established country Iepublic of Macedonia /199112 Thus' from 199@ onwards' in all official EP documents and correspondence the state was named The Xormer Hugoslav Iepublic of Macedonia2 *30* ,-.=ntegralism2 ,s.?aneta,s. Vangeli(k)' e$h2 cat2' te$ts by &u9ana Milevs-a and Llat-o Teodosievs-i' Macedonian Navilion at the :0th International Art E$hibition 4a !iennale di Sene9ia /&-op<eC Art Ballery &-op<e' 300@12 *31* This %curatorial installation) consisted of a long' unraveled strip of accounting paper' indicating the figures of money spent beyond our control2 It appeared as a very long navel cord and ran from the main entrance and through the dar- tunnel2 It was titled ,-./ith S'ecial Thanks(k) and it consisted of the names of all the men who had been involved in the pro<ect and had given hard times to myself and the artists2 The names were inscribed on the white paper strip with green fluorescent pen and illuminated with dar- ultraviolet light so that they names appeared to be floating in the dar-' seemingly endless tunnel2

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*33* ,-.Violeta @a'o%ska,-.' e$h2 cat2' te$t by &u9ana Milevs-a /&-op<eC &oros ?ontemporary Art ?entre W ?I^ Ballery' 199912 *3@* 8Zl[ne ?i$ous' %The 4augh of the Medusa') _195:` in ,-.!eminism2 An Anthology of Literary Theory and "riticism,-.' ed2 Iobyn I2 arhol' #iane Nrice 8erndl' trans2 4eith ?ohen and Naula ?ohen /8oundmillsC Macmillan Nress' 19951' @+52 *3+* ,-."a'ital and 0ender,-.' reader and e$h2 cat2' ed2 &u9ana Milevs-a /&-op<eC The Museum of the ?ity of &-op<e' 300112 *3:* Pniversity professors in philosophy /Xerid ,s.MuhiK,s.1 and in art history /,s.Oebo<Ra,s. ,s.SiliK,s.1 wrote very graphic and se$ist te$ts against several feminist writers from the only <ournal in Macedonia with a gendered agenda' ,-.=dentities,-.2 The professors used the authority derived from their status to %prove) that feminism is not necessary in Macedonia and is simply imported from the ,-.!orum,-.' nos2 105W113 /FuneWAugust 300312 *30* &u9ana Milevs-a' %!ecoming oman from a Xeminist Noint of Siew)' in ,-.4ew !eminism2 /orlds of !eminism3 5ueer and 4etworking "onditions,-.' ed2 Marina BrJiniK and Iosa Ieitsamer /SiennaC 4\c-er' 300>1' +52 *35* Xor an e$tensive discussion of the concept of gender agency see &u9ana Milevs-a' %Bender as AgencyC The Tension between Theory and Activism') paper delivered at the ?onference %Bender and IdentityC Agency of Bender E;uality') Nrishtina' March 5W>' 30092 est /,s.SiliK,s.' for e$ample' attac-ed ,-.n9'arado:a,-.7s editor "aty #eepwell for hegemonial feminism12 &eeC

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