Hyperrealization is his weapon and the sculptures surpass themselves. But in fact this is the philosophy that Zharko Basheski neatly breaks down in the personal exhibition with which he debuts before the public in Kosovo. With "Reflection" he finds the man who faces himself, surpasses him. As a concept as a whole it comes down to a kind of existentialism about the common man, who dialogues stripped of everything else but himself.
Self-knowledge is presented as a necessary act in the works that occupy most of the second floor of the National Gallery of Kosovo. They are not often seen in Kosovo. Rare are the artists who can come close to the craftsmanship that the artist from North Macedonia, Zharko Basheski, engraves in his works.
The material used and the form in which they communicate with the space and the public - makes them quite unusual. This alone highlights the artist's dedication to detail. Just like the title, the exhibition "Reflection" of the famous sculptor initiates a special confrontation of the visitors with the space: surprising to the public that is after the traditional sculpture.
Resistance and nudity
But the exhibition basically targets the common man. It offers self-confrontation. Example: "Self Eating" brings it back to the real context of the experience. Even in the intention of the sculpture to lift itself up – the self resists. Dualism appears again and again. For the visitors, it seems as if the character's physical collision could happen at any moment. It is clear that he puts a lot of effort into his sculptures, so they require not only an observer, but a multi-layered reader. As such, the works seem to correspond to man at any time. Sculptures in the form of a man contain a chapter of personal history.
Showing them naked, Basheski turns the characters into beings "naked" of complexes. He makes this even more visible in the sculpture he has placed on his forehead.
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"Grace" portrays a bald woman, but who has paid a lot of attention to her make-up. Because it gives him self-satisfaction. The weight doesn't impress him, so he took the position that brought it out the most. His sculptures are valued as historical commentary on the grotesque mistreatment of human beings. The people in his sculptures are a series of experiences: it doesn't matter what he represents. For Basheski, it is enough to be human. Known and unknown experiences have been carved into shapes created with precision from the head to the toes. The interest in hyperrealism as a concept was derived from man. That she is an explorer and experimenter is also proven by the technique she has worked with. In his sculptures, he used polyester, resin, polymer, silicone and natural hair.
Being among the demands of tragedies
Basheski told TIME that he has been working with this technique for ten years, but that he is still exploring for new findings in it.
"With this material I can best express my feelings and thoughts. The working method is the classic. It is about a very precise and very accurate technique", he said.
This way of working has been said to demand a lot from the author and for this reason he rarely works more than two works a year. With the personal exhibition "Reflection" Basheski marks the first presentation of his work to the public in Kosovo. For him, this date marks the opening of his doors to continue exhibiting here.
"I am pleased to be here in Kosovo. I hope that my submission will be accepted in a way that is appropriate. From today on, we will continue the cooperation", he said.
He made a summary of some works of the last four years. He emphasized that each sculpture has its own order. According to him, some orders in his sculptures match as they derive from Basheski's feelings. "I strengthen the idea according to continuity. I mainly deal with man: the demands and tragedies he has inside. These are not concerns that we have in our area, but they are concerns that affect us at the global level", said the sculptor from North Macedonia, representative of Macedonia at the 54th International Biennale in Venice, in 2011.
Zharko Basheski born in 1957 in Prilep. He is a professor at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Skopje. According to critics, he is an author who is open to experiments in search of new plastic expression and authenticity. His sculptures are considered to aspire to return to the space for liberation, to the fusion of all with the whole. The body appears only in the limitation of mass, but the mind is in the regions of pre-beginning, eternity and infinity. In his works, the point of view is turned towards man, that is why the interest in the hyperrealistic approach in the shaping of the concept of the work is manifested, which in the theoretical projection exceeds hyperrealism and speaks about life and the world in which we live.
In the fight for survival
Discussions are what precede every collaboration between the curator Goranche Gjorgjievski and the sculptor Basheksi. Even for "Reflection" in Pristina, the common man has been the main word.
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"The order is for the common man, who will surpass himself. To make a dialogue about all the difficulties he has and how he can overcome them and all those global difficulties. The feeling that can overcome the burden is also present. The man who drowns can even come to the surface and continue to breathe, as the title says, the artist reflects on society and the man who survives in society", the curator of the exhibition, Gjorgjiveski, told KOHĖ. The explanation of this concept can be found in the work "Sustaining", which the artist exhibited in a separate space at GKK. The man seems to be gurgling through the water and this is presented as an ongoing act.
This makes the sculptor from North Macedonia to be appreciated as an artist who with his works provokes and insists on telling a human and personal story in the human aspect. This is how the curator of many exhibitions, Zeni Ballazhi, assessed it.
According to him, the treatment of the sculptural volume by this author heralds a further step, adding the dimensions of expression of hyperrealistic and conceptual sculpture in the contemporary framework.
"Here are some of the artist's cycles, which have been selected to suit the environment and the place here. It is special precisely because of the hyperrealistic sculptures, which are more than realistic, as is the wish in the ideological and creative aspect of the artist. He presents his inner reality and in addition to his personal reality, he also touches on other realities, related to politics and global situations in the world", said Ballazhi, as he invited as many visitors as possible, since the works evoke a provocation and public curiosity.
Constant provocation
At the beginning of the 90s of the last century, Zharko Basheksi conquered the Macedonian and later the European and world artistic space with his exhibitions. He has received the most attention with his recent research in the field of expression of plastic sculpture. The use of sculptural and non-sculptural materials is in unity and the need for human presence in these spatial installations is evident, which is an integral part in the revival and experience of the work.
"Reflection", officially opened on Friday night, is part of the joint inter-ministerial calendar between the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports of Kosovo and the Ministry of Culture of North Macedonia.
According to the director of the National Gallery of North Macedonia, Dita Starova-Qerimi, these cultural exchanges at the highest visual art institutions are showing a rapprochement between the two countries.
"It is a great pleasure for us to be able to cooperate and aim for the reciprocity of the exhibition of two galleries of the highest cultural level in our two countries so close. The artistic scene of Kosovo for us is very promotional, where famous names are positioned in the artistic scene", she said.
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From 1999 to 2009, the sculptor Zharko Bashkeski was the head of the Sculpture Department at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Skopje. His works have been presented in many international exhibitions. He is the winner of many awards. Most of his works can be found in private collections at home and abroad. His exhibition "Reflection" will remain open for one month at the National Gallery of Kosovo. And with the provocation it brings, just one visit is not enough.
