HEAVEN EXISTS – 15 Yeas of “Art Point – Gumno” Residence

/, Gallery, Blesok no. 120-121/HEAVEN EXISTS – 15 Yeas of “Art Point – Gumno” Residence

HEAVEN EXISTS – 15 Yeas of “Art Point – Gumno” Residence


15 Years Art Point – Gumno, poster, Voskresija Andreevska, 2018.

2. The Goat (“Domazetovi Family Goat”), water color on paper, Daniel Peddle, USA, painted in 2004.

3. Wood Sculpture (“Leaf”), wood/processed branches collected by Bela Reka in Sloeštica, Leon Patchett, Scotland, made in 2008.

4. The Woman with the Bread (“The Story of the Bread”), photograph, Arrow Ross, Wilmington, USA, made in 2005.

5. Two Lying Bodies (“Under the Plakenska Mountain”), oil on canvas, Raed al-Rawi, Iraq/USA, painted in 2006.

6. Stone sculpture (“The Woman from Carthage”), processed river stone, Najet Gherissi, Tunisia. 2011.

7. Whirlpools (“Whirlpools”), photogram, Eva Mayer, Slovakia/Hungary, 2012.

The international centre for art and sustainable development “Art Point – Gumno” (http://artpoint-gumno.org.mk/) is found at the magical village of Sloeštica, at the foot of Plakenska mountain.
Inspired by Theseus maxim: “Touch the earth to rise yourself!”, the creators of the centre, Andreevski family have been active in the area of culture and art and protection of biodiversity and living environment, for 15 years already.

The art residence “Art Point – Gumno” is maybe the most recognizable brand that has been built through the years, established not only in Macedonia, but also internationally. Thanks to Sergej’s creative adventures through the years, part of the distinguished artists and art organizations that he had been meeting became guests of Sloeštica’s creative threshing floor (gumno).
From 2003-2017, more than 40 distinguished international artists were official guests of the art residence in Sloeštica. The workshop is usually organized once per year, for 2-4 artists from various countries of the world. During their stay in the village, which is at least 3 weeks, the artists create, inspired by the natural beauties of the region and the original spirit of the local population. The program also covers a visit to significant cultural and historical, tourist locations in the region (Demir Hisar, Kruševo, Bitola, Ohrid etc.).
Apart from creating art, the guests also have activities in cooperation with the local inhabitants. These projects for the benefit of the community have created eternal friendships and opened new horizons.

At the end of each residence, there is an exhibition of the created works, entitled “Open Studio”. These events are regularly visited by numerous art lovers and they are documented by both local and foreign media.

This year in Velestovo we celebrate two anniversaries: 30 years of “Velestovo Poetry Night” and 15 years of “Art Point – Gumno” art residence. At the exhibition in the church of ‘Holy Mother of God’s Ascension” the visitors will have the chance to see part of the “Art Point – Gumno” collection, inspired by the adventures of the international artists in the rural areas of upper Demir Hisar.

“…Actually, this is a family centre where everybody is involved in the work, my wife Irena and my son Meglen and daughter Voskresija. Everybody is part of the work and space, both spiritually and physically. When we established the centre, we spoke with my wife that my grandfather started everything at the threshing floor. He started and ended his days at the threshing floor. Actually, the Macedonian would spend most of his day working at the threshing floor. That is why the threshing floor is part of the name of the centre, because we have now turned the threshing floor into a different reality in the sense of creation of art and living with art. We wanted our threshing floor to welcome guests from the world. There are many art colonies and workshops where Macedonian artists are present, but we thought that it would be good for our centre to be international; apart from the beauties of the village the foreign artists would be acquainted with the mentality of the Macedonians via the mentality of the people who live in Sloeštica. I don’t know if this can be felt in Skopje as it is felt here. In Sloeštica you live differently. Here, the time sometimes simply – stands still. In these conditions, it is easier to peek into the souls of the people who live in these areas. The peace of the landscape here enables you to easily discover your own soul. When you look inside yourself, then there is also the possibility to create something else in your own creations, something that you did not know existed in yourself. That was the essence of the creation of ‘Art Point – Gumno’ art centre…”
Part of the interview of Sergej Andreevski for Toni Dimkov – Поинаквата реалност на гумното /”The Different Reality of the Gumno”, Лајф магазин/Портрет/Интервју (no. 48, October 2010).

AuthorIrena Andreevska
Translated byElizabeta Bakovska
2018-09-20T12:36:09+00:00 September 19th, 2018|Categories: Reviews, Gallery, Blesok no. 120-121|0 Comments