
Capital of Kitsch 2014, Capital of Culture 2028?
This Skopje has lost its story. And because it no longer has its story, Skopje cannot be the capital of European culture.
Can a city that has long won the title of "European capital of kitsch" among the European public be a "European capital of culture"? The story of Skopje's nomination for this title testifies to the paradoxical state of culture in Macedonia in the last two decades.
The City Council of Skopje made a decision to nominate for this title in 2014. The year is a symbol of "Skopje 2014". It is possible that the then mayor believed that with "Skopje 2014" the city had become "truly" European, and therefore worthy of that title. After all, the politicians who demonstrated against Gruevski's regime in "Sharena", the essence of which is precisely "Skopje 2014", when they came to power, did not mind the "neo-baroque" disguised Government building, because apparently, more than culture, they cared about their power. If, however, among the applicants there were people who were aware that Skopje after 2014 is an expression of unculture and bad taste, then I wonder what they plan to do to hide the city center from the European public? Because "Skopje 2014" contradicts the essential criteria for the title "European Capital of Culture".
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It has existed since 1985, and was established at the initiative of the Greek Minister of Culture, Melina Mercouri. The choice of Athens, as the first city with this title, very clearly reflects the criteria for it. Athens laid the foundations of European culture. They are not only the plays of Sophocles and the sculptures of Praxiteles, but also the ancient temples, Byzantine churches and all the buildings that authentically document the history of the culture of this city - from antiquity to the present day. Athens does not have newly built ancient architecture, like Skopje. Kitsch is recognized only when compared to an authentic work of art. Ancient sculptures and buildings in Athens radiate a perfect aesthetic measure of expression, theme and performance. Of course, that is why the whole world admires the ingenious ancient sculptors! The "neo-antique" sculptures and buildings in the center of Skopje have incongruous proportions and inept execution. Their authors have become famous in the world only as bad plagiarists. Of course, it is naive to believe that in four years, works like the genius works of Greek antiquity could have been created in the center of Skopje.
Only those who do not know the theory of culture and aesthetics think that even in an ugly city there can be authentic culture. They forget that the architecture of a city is the first criterion for its cultural and aesthetic value. It, under normal conditions, clearly reflects the spirit of the times. The tragedy of Skopje is that the new face of Skopje as an "ancient Disneyland" was imagined by politicians without elementary knowledge of the essence of culture. The center of Skopje after 2014 is an expression of inauthenticity, ugliness and copy, of bad taste and unculturedness. With this, the city lost its cultural identity. That cultural identity used to be recognized precisely in the unusual symbiosis of modern and traditional Macedonian architecture. Skopje before 2014 was a city with a truly European spirit of living, open to all modern artistic trends and cultural values. It was built in all its historical stages in accordance with the spirit of the times. Skopje was a cosmopolitan city, because several authentic cultural traditions lived in it. The Stone Bridge, then still in its authentic appearance, was the connection between modern and traditional Skopje.
Skopje had its own story
Post-earthquake Skopje became a city of solidarity, because it was built with help from all over the world. It had architecture that, even with the partial realization of Tange's plan, was in line with the existing architectural vision of the city. The white building of the new theater near the Vardar did not obstruct the view of the low houses in the Bazaar. With the large plateau in front of the theater, it created a pleasant transition for the eye from the traditional to the modern part of the city. The urban image always speaks through the aesthetic form, through the shaping of the space. Today, Skopje only testifies to chaos, a lack of urban vision and neglect of cultural heritage. Back then, Skopje had its own story. This Skopje has lost its story. And because it no longer has its own story, Skopje cannot be the capital of European culture. Because all European cities with an old culture take care to preserve their story. It is preserved by people who love their city. Those who disfigured Skopje obviously loved money and anarchy more than the cultural memory of the city.
The criteria for the title state that the city should demonstrate care for the good maintenance of old buildings, but also for the quality of life of its citizens. Can a city in which traffic does not function, and even less so for the removal of garbage in front of buildings, shops and markets, claim to have achieved European values of living? Cultural values are not only theater performances and music concerts, but also care for the urban concept of the city and the culture of living. The true European value is the preservation of authentic features of the cultural memory and history of the city. And what is the care of the city of Skopje for old buildings, archaeological sites, Byzantine churches, and the authentic appearance of the Skopje bazaar?
Just under five kilometers away is the old Roman city of Scupi, the predecessor of Skopje. Of the 44 hectares of land that Scupi, at that time the largest Roman city in the Balkans, has only been explored today, about 20 percent. The rest is covered in tall grass and thorns. Foreign tourists write on online tourism forums that the site looks neglected, that it is difficult to approach, that there is not enough infrastructure, typical in Europe for such important archaeological sites. In any European city with such an archaeological site, not only would everything have been explored by now, but there would also be an archaeological institute nearby. And it would have constantly researched the findings and published a number of high-quality expert and informative studies about Scupi in foreign languages. Scupi is the Roman name for Skopje, just as Colonia is the Roman name for Cologne. The birthplace of Cologne was also a Roman colony, like Scupi. The difference is that Cologne cherishes it as a precious cultural memory, as its own identity and character. In Cologne, in the old part around the cathedral, every inch of construction work is first investigated by archaeologists. Cologne has a large museum, located right next to the cathedral, in which all archaeological finds are exhibited. It is the "Roman-Germanic Museum" (Das römisch-germanische Museum). Does Skopje at least intend to pay such attention to Skupi? Honestly, I don't believe it. Because a European city with a well-deserved title of capital of culture would have taken care of Skupi and the maintenance of the Roman aqueduct near Skopje by now. The fact that it is still standing, and has not collapsed so far, is due only to the great skill of the Roman builders, and not to the perfect care of the city for it. A true European City of Culture would not allow kitsch facades to be "glued" to the buildings from the early 50s and 60s in the center of Skopje, in which the influence of Bauhaus aesthetics was visible.
Moving the Warrior
The crowning witness of Skopje's kitsch is, in fact, the giant fountain with Alexander. It exposes "Skopje 2014" as an attempt to create a new Macedonian narrative, which clearly indicates that this project is not cultural, but political. Hence the little care for the aesthetic value of the sculptures and buildings. In European history, cities have suffered from fires, earthquakes and wars, but Skopje is the only city that "suffered" from the ignorance of a political group, which, unfortunately, was served by a large retinue of unprofessional Macedonian artists and scientists. If Skopje wants to embark on the path in 2028 on which it would one day become an authentic European city, then the city should immediately, for starters, remove the baroque facades from the Government building, the several apartment buildings on the square and at least the Store. In fact, the city of Skopje would show that it is faithful to the idea of the EU, which encourages reconciliation between nations and through culture, if the monument to Alexander (“The Warrior on Horseback”), together with the fountain, were to be moved to a small square in the middle of the city park. A true sign of European culture would be if that park were called the “Park of Friendship between Greeks and Macedonians”. Of course, the warrior would first have to be stripped of his sword, because in the EU there is no reason for militant iconography.
It is clear to me that such a thing is unthinkable in today's Skopje. The absurdities in the culture of today's Skopje are also evidenced by the role of the "Universal Hall" in this whole story with the title. I came across in the media that one of the coordinators for the 2028 program was a certain "Universal Hall Association". The 2028 program also mentions "reconstruction of the Universal Hall". It is as if we are in some Beckett drama of the absurd, in September 2023 Skopje was awarded the title of "European Capital of Culture", and in April 2024 the Universal Hall burned down almost to the ground, in broad daylight. What will that coordinator now coordinate in culture in 2028, when the facility he was supposed to take care of burned down? The only consolation in this theater of the absurd for those who love culture is the fact that the tragedy of the "Universal Hall" confirms that the absurd dramas of Beckett and Ionesco are a harsh reality.
(The author is a philosopher and Macedonian and German writer)
THE LANGUAGE IN WHICH THEY ARE WRITTEN, AS WELL AS THE VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THE COLUMNS, DO NOT ALWAYS REFLECT THE EDITORIAL POLICY OF "FREE PRESS"