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Jelica Rajacic Capakovic [ SCG, Department for Work, Employment and Equality of Sexes of the Provincial Government, sponsor of the Workshop ]
As a representative of the Department of Work, Employment and Equality of Sexes, which is the sponsor of the art colony for women artists, I am very glad to have met you and worked with you. I would like to use this opportunity to make female creative work more prominent and to emphasize once again that women are not equal. |
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Aleksandar Pedovic [ SCG, Project's director ]
As a part of The Iwano Project VI, a workshop was organized for the third time from August 16th till 24th. As before, only women artists from the countries of the region took part and created works of art on the famous hand-made Japanese paper which was a donation by the most famous produces in Japan, Mr. Heizaburo Iwano. This years topic was "All in red" - the participants tried to make use of red as the dominant color or a detail in an interesting way. As always, the workshop was equipped with top-notch technology (digital camera "Olympus 5050", video screen, a PC, a lap-top with wireless internet connection, GPRS technology, free of charge 063 mobile phone services, excellent hi-fi configuration in combination with B&W 801 and Yamaha 500 W, etc. Each day was documented with 200 photos, of which some 20 will be chosen to be placed on the site, more precisely, on the red link of "The Iwano Project VI – Workshop/Photo Gallery". Women artist who wish to participate in the next Workshop VII – 2005 can submit their applications on-line, and the same goes for those who wish to create their works of art at home and then send them to us. A specially appointed jury will select a number of artists among all those who apply. I wish to thank the participants, as well as all those who helped in the realization of the Workshop, especially Mr. Luka Salapura, web master of the project for his effort. |
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Milena Uzunova [ BG, The Iwano Project VI - Workshop ]
The Iwano Project is unique in the Balkans. It provides unbelievable opportunities for artists from our region to get acquainted with Japanese culture which has inspired us all. Working on a high-quality hand-made paper we discover the rich world of Japanese tradition. I have discovered a special connection between women artists involved in this workshop and the paper which is delicate as a woman, and yet a very dynamic material. Relaxing atmosphere and the beauty of the surroundings are also a part of the general concept. |
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Suzana Dan [ RO, The Iwano Project VI - Workshop ]
Such time I wrote to my sister from here, I used to send her "regards from heaven". It was a good lesson about how people, who live with the some problems like those from your country, have such power to see the good things in life. My works represent some funny stories from Romania and from this place. |
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Silvija Mihajlovska [ MK, The Iwano Project VI - Workshop ]
An idea to organize a women-only art colony and to work on hand-made Japanese paper appealed to me at once. I first became acquainted with the whole project thanks to a colleague of mine who attended the colony the previous year. I am fascinated with Japanese paper, so I`m trying to introduce some new principles in my art, especially ones that could be described as minimalism, and treat the Macedonian folklore elements according to those principles by reducing them to the simplest forms. This is how I try to fuse our two worlds together... I have to point out that not only the idea as such, but the organization of the workshop as well was very good. The site, the nature, the view and everything else is perfect, and it`s nice to meet new people from around here and become more familiar with their work. |
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Ilijana Petruševska [ MK, The Iwano Project VI - Workshop ]
I very much enjoyed to be a part of the Iwano Project and to be at this beautiful site. The Japanese paper we've been working on is inspiring and it makes you want to experiment with different techniques. It is always interesting when artists get together. One can learn a lot from colleagues, work together and make friends. |
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Jelena Crnokrak [ BiH RS, The Iwano Project VI - Workshop ]
As a participant in this colony, I can say that the project deserves a lot of praise due to the idea of using hand-made paper, but also thanks to the organization and the beautiful surroundings. Isolation in nature gives us a special pleasure, so the general atmosphere is in harmony with the surroundings - it is completely relaxed. Excursions into authentic Vojvodinian places give plenty of inspiration and provide an insight into the local culture. Centuries old monasteries have left a unique impression, as well as the cute ranches with their domestic atmosphere.
Since the colony is of international character, it has gathered together ladies from different countries in this beautiful castle where they converse in different languages and get more familiar with the cultures of other participants. The idea behind the Iwano project is a very good one. The paper gives you the opportunity to use a variety of techniques and thus a certain freedom in your work. This was one of the most important ideas of the project - a blend of the Japanese cultural heritage represented by the paper, and the European creative work. |
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Majda Skrinar [ SLO, The Iwano Project VI - Workshop ]
In the middle of the Balkans, next to the beautiful blue Danube, on a hill, with the view that reaches 40 km: fields, forests, the slow flowing of the river. Peace: birds and butterflies, Japanese paper, the red color. |
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Tamara Terzic [ SCG, The Iwano Project VI - Workshop ]
Inspiring and relaxing atmosphere and working conditions are, in my opinion, perfect conditions for creation, in fact, if I had the opportunity to spend more time in this oasis of calm, I believe my art would be richer. P.S. Thank you for inviting me and make me satisfaction. |
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Mihaela Kavdanska [ BG - RO, The Iwano Project VI - Workshop ]
A SHORT CONVERSATION ABOUT THE "ALL IN RED CONVERTED TO GRAYSCALE" SERIES
X: DOU YOU LIKE TO PLAY?
MK: I love that. Makes me less serious and clears my brain and opens my mind for new experiences. Actually, this is what I wanted, and I`ve managed to do that at The Iwano Project VI - Workshop, and I`m grateful for having found here all the necessary conditions for this purpose.
X: SO YOU CONSIDER YOUR WORKS FROM THE LAST 10 DAYS A KIND OF A GAME?
MK: In a way, the process itself is a kind of a game. I like to explore the interaction between different, sometimes contradictory techniques and artistic attitudes, so I`ve mixed computer design, photography, Xerox copying, chemical transfer on the Iwano paper and painting in order to produce these compositions of typography signs and cultural, technical symbols, which, certainly, have their own history in my previous artworks.
X: WHAT ABOUT THE SIGNS?
MK: The ASCI code, which you see in some of the works, is a part of the code of some self-portrait photos. I also transformed it in different fonts, so I created a writing which fascinated me. As a matter of fact, in almost all of the works, there is an element of self-portrait. The rest of the symbols are just part of the surrounding cultural / entertainment lifestyle, which I played with.
X: SO YOU MIX EVERYTHING: TECHNIQUES, SYMBOLS, IDEAS, EXPERIENCES?
MK: I believe that the process of the famous "searching for the essence" has to be a provocative and fascinating, mind-opening game, because sometimes you don`t know where and how you`ll find something surprising and new.
X: WHY DID YOU "CONVERT" THE "ALL IN RED" IN GRAYSCALE?
MK: For the sake of game!
X: ... SOUNDS A BIT SUPERFICIAL...
MK: Well, it may sound superficial... but do you think that it`s more useful if I told you that the grayscale is an option within a computer program which I use every day and I like to see how it transforms every color image in combination of the shades of gray, black and white. I see the red color in the idea of the works and I haven`t felt the need to show it visually. I wanted to show that life is full of shades, but sometimes you need to see it black and white to choose a new direction, and go on, (this answer could be much longer...) do you really need to know all these mixed up parts of one`s daily life? That`s why I said "for the sake of game". In the end "let's play". |
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 Photos (for Press)
 Iwano VI
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