Iskra Geshoska is founder and a president of Kontrapunkt. Since 1994 she is active in the building of the Independent cultural sector and the contemporary, self-organized formats of action in the socio-cultural context. She contributes to the local, national and international affirmation of the independent cultural sector and its political relevance. Her key focus is the development of critical thinking and critical theories, as well as the relationship of cultural and artistic practices and the political. In 2016 she established KRIK – festival for critical culture and she is an executive program editor. She was Director of the independent Cultural center “Tocka”(Skopje) since its founding until its closing (2002-2010). In the frame of Tocka’s program, as well as before and after, she developed and led over 15 projects in the field of cultural policies, critical theory, critical debate, visual and performative arts; examining the relationship of art and politics. She is actively involved in the process of local and national advocacy levels of the political relevance of the independent cultural sector as well as in the process of enabling regional cooperation. In the period 1998 – 2008, she was an editor at the publishing house Templum and the magazine Margin.  From 2003 to 2005 she was an adviser at the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Macedonia. From 2012 until 2017 she was the first President of JADRO – an association of the independent cultural scene, a national platform for advocacy in Macedonia. Additionally, she is a member of the general assembly of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, and she was in two mandates a member of the Advisory Board of the regional platform of the Independent cultural sector KOOPERATIVA. In 2017 she was engaged by the Ministry of culture of the Republic of North Macedonia as an expert in writing the National Strategy for culture. Besides her theoretical and socio-cultural practices, she has rich and intense activist engagement and participates in almost all activist processes that contribute to the development and democratization of the society. She advocates for inter-sectoral cooperation and insists on deep social and political rottenness of cultural and artistic creation. To date she has published over 100 essays and research papers in the field of critical theory, performing arts, visual arts and cultural policies.

Artan Sadiku is a researcher, theorist and activist and holds a PhD in philosophy. He has studied and researched at the universities in Amsterdam, Oslo, Munich and Baltimore. His primary theoretical interests are theories of the subject, feminism and radical practices in politics and arts. He has worked as a researcher in Skopje at the Institute for social studies and humanities where he led the School for politics and critique and is the founder of the Culture Club Syndicate and the activist movement Solidarnost. He was a prominent actor in protest movements such as Aman!, #protestiram and the Academic Plenum and currently program editor of Kontrapunkt and the KRIK festival for critical culture. He is a regular contributor in regional and international journals such as le Monde Diplomatique, Journal Identities and Bilten. His latest writings deal with the question of the space of art in the society and the aesthetic form of the workers.

Tijana-Ana Spasovska is an art historian working as a project and program coordinator at Kontrapunkt and the KRIK festival for critical culture. Currently, she is a student at the “UNESCO Chair in Cultural Policy and Management” Master program at Belgrade University and she attends the GIOCA – Innovation and Organization of Culture and the Arts Master program at the University of Bologna. During her bachelor studies at the University of “St. Cyril and Methodius”, Tijana-Ana was on an Erasmus Exchange program at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, while being an active member of the student association of archaeology “AXIOS” – Skopje. Her fields of interest are audience development, exhibition settings, cultural landscapes and cultural activism.

Jana Kocevska graduated from the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology in Skopje. She works in the association for promotion of women’s activity “Tiiiit! Ink “, which is one of the foundations of the feminist festival “Firstborn girl”. Аlso, she is one of the founders of CINIC – Center for Research in Nationalism and Culture. She is a collaborator at the Skopje Pride Weekend and the CRIC – Festival of Critical Culture in Skopje, organized by Kontrapunkt. Her topics of interest are gender equality, cultural policies and human rights.

Stanimir Panayotov is program coeditor of the KRIK festival for critical culture. He is currently finishing his PhD in Comparative Gender Studies at the Central European University (Budapest, Hungary) with a specialization in Medieval Studies. He works at the intersections of continental and feminist philosophy, non-philosophy, Neoplatonism and new/speculative realism, and has specialized in these fields in Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ljubljana (2013); Institute of Social Sciences and Humanities – Skopje (2015); Linköping University (2016); American Research Center in Sofia (2016/17); Kingston University, London (2017); Utrecht University (2018). He is a member of оrganisation Non-Philosophique Internationale since 2016. Co-director and co-organizer of Sofia Queer Forum (Sofia, 2012-present), as well as Summer School for Sexualities, Cultures and Politics (Skopje/Belgrade, 2012-2017). Since 2017 he is the editorial manager of Identities: Journal for Politics, Gender and Culture, as well as editorial board member of Oraxiom: A Journal of Non-Philosophy.

Бранимир Јовановиќ е економист на Виенскиот институт за меѓународни економски студии. Поле на интерес му се нееднаквоста, сиромаштијата, даноците, социјалните политики, економските кризи. Претходно има работено како професор на Институтот за општествени и хуманистички науки во Скопје, како советник на Министерот за финансии и како истражувач во Народната банка. Бил на студиски престој на Универзитетот во Торино, а има докторирано на универзитетот „Тор Вергата“ во Рим. Бил член на Левичарското движење „Солидарност“ и активен во протестните движења „Протестирам“ и „Шарена Револуција“.

Petar Milat is a former philosopher and serves as the head of programs at Multimedia Institute/MaMa [Zagreb, Croatia], in charge of publishing, experimental music and film programs. Since 2008 he is the director of Human Rights Film Festival, a festival of cinéma d’auteur engagé. The nexus of normative social and aesthetic theory is the main focus of his research. In 2018 Petar was a Jury member at the Oberhausen Short Film Festival. Since 2013, he is a project and program consultant at Kontrapunkt and KRIK festival for critical thinking.

Nikola Gelevski is director and founder of the publishing house “Templum” (1989) (from the samizdat days), editor in chief of the magazine “Margina” (1994 to date), chief editor of the comics magazine “Lift” (1995-2000) and founder and editor in chief of the on-line portal “Okno” (2009 to date). He is also founder and co-founder of several civil organizations and initiatives: Member of the Board of FOSIM (2002-2006), co-founder of Kontrapunkt (1999), one of the founders of the Cultural Center “Tocka” (2003- 2009), one of the founders of the association “Freedom Square” (2009) and one of the founders of the association CEM -Citizens for European Macedonia, (2008). He is also a columnist and his columns have been published in the newspapers: “Forum” (1999-2001), “Utrinski Vesnik” (2001-2009),”Globus”(2009-2011) and “Okno” (2009 to date). He is author of 7 books and recipient of the award “Borjan Tanevski” for 2007 (“prominent columnist of the year”).

Elena Veljanovska (b. 1979, Skopje) is a freelance curator and cultural manager. In 2006 graduated at the Art History and Archaeology Faculty in Skopje, Macedonia. Her first working experience was in the Cultural Center “Tocka”, Skopje (2003- 2006), then in 2006 she founded Line I+M, platform for new media art and technology which she directed until 2010. In 2009 she was a guest-curator in Stedefreund gallery in Berlin and a co-curator of the Macedonian Pavilion at the 53 International Art exhibition in Venice. In 2010-11 worked as part of the team behind SEAFAIR – Electronic arts festival ’10th and ‘11th edition, in Skopje. Starting in 2012 – 2014 she is actively involved in two organisations: In the creation of the Association of the Independent cultural scene JADRO, and the cultural organization Kontrapunkt, Skopje. In 2014, she was the Art director of the first edition of Paratissima, the first art fair in Skopje. Currently she works and lives in Berlin, Germany.

Vladimir Jankovski (1977) has graduated General and Comparative literature at the Faculty of Philology „Blaze Koneski“ in Skopje. He worked as an editor in several publishing houses in Macedonia, as well in the Cultural centre Tocka.

He has published 6 books: Hidden Desires, Tricksy Travellings (novel, 2020), Invisible Loves (novel, 2015), Eternal Present Time (novel, 2010), The Faces of the Invisible City (2010, photo-essays in cooperation with the photographer Ivan Blazev), Skopje with Eyes Wide Open (2008, photo-essay in cooperation with the photographer Ivan Blazev), The Puzzle for the Mirror (conversations with Macedonian writer Vlada Urosevic).

For the novel Invisible Loves he has been awarded with “Racinovo Priznanie” award for the best prose book, and was Macedonian representative for international “Balkanika” award.

He is active in the field of literary translations. He has translated more than 30 books from Croatian, Serbian and English language. He is a winner of “Zlatno pero” award for the best translation, the award given by the Association of the literary translators of R. of Macedonia.

Robert Alagjozovski (b. 1973) – Skopje based freelance writer, researcher, cultural manager, art and culture critic. M.A. in Comparative literature from Skopje University. Worked as a program coordinator  and editor of Kontrapunkt and the Cultural center Tocka, from 2001 to 2008. Author of four books and dozen of studies from Philology, Film and Cultural Policy. Former President of the Brussels’ based Oracle network of European cultural managers and trainer at the Marcel Hicter’s European Diploma in Cultural Project Management. Member of Independent writers of Macedonia and of the editorial board of Sarajevo notebooks. He has been involved in many projects on cultural decentralization, interculturalism, regional or international cooperation. He has translated several important books from English and Serbo-Croatian into Macedonian.

Bojan Ivanovic (1971, Skopje) studied electronics and telecommunications but started working as a graphic designer in various magazines (Start, Zum) before joining Kontrapunkt in 2003 in designing the materials for the activities of both Kontarpunkt and Templum. He is now running a graphic design studio called Brigada design in Skopje.

Branko Prlja (1977) graduated Graphic Design at the Faculty of Art and Design on EURM in Skopje. He has worked in Kontrapunkt (Culture Center Tocka/Templum) on Web and graphic design (and as an occasional translator) in the period of 2004-2008. Currently works as a graphic designer and a copywriter in the advertising agency BEC Scholz & Friends. He is actively engaged in the field of literature and is the founder of the first online literary contest in Macedonia, Elektrolit. Branko Prlja is the founder member of a creative collective and art group Kapka involved in organizing exhibitions, workshops and publishing experimental books for the younger population. Has published over 10 books of short stories and also educational books for children as an author, editor in chief and graphic designer.

Permanent collaborators

Alexandra Bubevska is a journalist. She is an author of numerous television shows in the field of art and culture in the period between 1996 -2011. She was an editor for Culture in the newspaper “Day” (2012), Culture editor and journalist in “New portal” (2013), Editor and journalist in the informative portal “A1on” (2013 – present). Published books: “The female side: Personal stories about the crisis in Macedonia 2001”, Skopje, Euro Balkan Press, 2006 (with Mirushe Hoxha).

Gjorgje Jovanovik (1980) In 2003 he graduated at the Department of Painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Skopje, Macedonia.  In his recent work, the question of the integration and disintegration of the contemporary man has been his preoccupation. He re-examines interpersonal communication in the context of the general  situation of redefining universal values, man-society relations, and consumerism as a key factor for the modern lifestyle; politics as a factor of disintegration of the cities, states, and families… as well as a re- examination of the self in inner or extensive contexts of decaying old, and creating new values. Using no limits in media he has worked on installations, performances, objects, videos, collages, and paintings in order to achieve a transformation of the artistic dimensions of his individual expression by following up the fluidity of the contemporary context.  He has realized several solo exhibitions in Macedonia and abroad. (MC Gallery, New York, 2010),  Gallery Centrum, Graz,etc.  He also took part in numerous   group   exhibitions, symposia, workshops and conferences in Macedonia, Albania, Serbia, Bosnia, Slovenia, Greece, Turkey , Austria, Italy, Netherlands, France, Spain, Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Egypt , USA. Lives and works in Skopje.

Partners and friends of Kontrapunkt

Kontrapunkt (2001 – 2019)

team chronology

2019

Iskra Geshoska (President, Program director)

Elena Veljanovska (Executive director, Program coordinator)

Artan Sadiku (Program editor and Project coordinator)

Jana Kocevska (Program and Project coordinator)

Tijana-Ana Spasovska (Program and Project coordinator)

 

2018

Iskra Geshoska (President, Program director)

Elena Veljanovska (Executive director, Program coordinator)

Artan Sadiku (Program Collaborator)

Tijana Ana Spasovska (Assistant)

Eva Semic (volunteer/Erasmus)

 

2016 – 2017

Iskra Geshoska (President, Program director)

Elena Veljanovska (Executive director, Program coordinator)

Jana Kocevska (Project coordinator)

Ivana Nakic (Project Assistant)

Vladimir Jankovski (Program Collaborator)

Tijana Ana Spasovska (Intern)

Rebeka Veljanovska (Intern)

 

2014 – 2016

Iskra Geshoska (President, Program director)

Elena Veljanovska (Executive director, Program coordinator)

Robert Alagjozovski (External Program collaborator)

Zarko Trajanovski (External Program collaborator)

 

2014- 2012, Iskra Geshoska, Elena Veljanovska

2011 – 2009, Iskra Geshoska, Vladimir Jankovski, Wiebke Stadler, Ivana Dragsic

2009 – 2006, Iskra Geshoska, Nikola Gelevski, Vladimir Jankovski, Branko Prlja, Julia Lechler, Gjorgji Krstevski, Marko Kovacevski

2006 – 2001, Iskra Geshoska, Nikola Gelevski, Bojan Ivanovic, Branko Prlja, Elena Veljanovska, Vladimir Jankovski, Robert Alagjozovski