Intersection for the Sculpture above 2 at 42°N /SKP-NYC/ 8th floor minus 110 cm- by Slavčo Spirovski

Slavčo Spirovski

Intersection for the Sculpture above 2

at 42°N /SKP-NYC/ 8th floor minus 110 cm

The interpretation of the latest presentation by Slavčo Spirovski titled “Intersection for the Sculpture above 2 at 42° N /SKP-NYC/ 8th floor minus 110 cm,” realized at MC Gallery in New York (USA) is impossible without referring to his previous projects especially the “Intersection for the sculpture above” realized in the National gallery of Macedonia, Chifte hammam in 2010.

Generally speaking, Slavčo Spirovski bases his work on research related to sculpture as a three-dimensional presence. Starting from the elements that define the presence of the sculpture as a three-dimensional object – primarily volume and space, a particular role in the spatial structure of most elements is also given to appearance, dimensions and layout of the gallery space which the author compartmentalizes and sets the elements with mathematical precision.

If we evoke interpretations according to which a sculpture is not in itself an object, but a body that acts / is experienced in space, and that a key feature of the sculpture is space embraced with shape and material, we become aware of the intention of the author which relates more with the meaning of the piece than the formal appearance.

Slavčo Spirovski starts with the element which usually has negligible significance in determining the appearance of the sculpture i.e. the pedestal as “a foundation for setting of the piece.” In this case, the element that has stereotypically been seen only as a carrier in bringing the “classical sculpture” to the eyes of the viewer, becomes itself a piece.  The pedestal becomes the main carrier of the marking; the author completely flips it by 180° and in its (otherwise “invisible”) interior creates a situation which, by the relations inside-out/full-empty, captures the three-dimensionality by embedding “a piece within piece.”

The perception of space and three-dimensionality in the presented work takes place on the intersection of lines in the technical drawings drawn within the internal sides of the pedestal; the perception occurs only through (suggested) observation, i.e. careful visual survey of the viewer “inside”, specifically “above” what is normally treated as only a pedestal of the artwork.

The “plays” dominated by the geometric relationship and integration of elements in space, especially the gallery space, is essential for Slavčo Spirovski’s work.  “Intersection for the Sculpture above 2 at 42°N /SKP-NYC/ 8th floor minus 110 cm” is a continuation of the project carried out in 2010, where the project itself is auto-referential i.e. the author re-examines opportunities to present three-dimensionality through two-dimensional appearance.

The title is symbolic on the level of several relations between the two representations: “42°N / SKP-NYC” is the geographical location of the cities (identical latitude/parallel) where the two projects are presented.  This time, the gallery is located on the 8th floor, and “minus 110 cm” marks the subtraction of the height of the pedestals used through which you are visually getting into a completely new imaginary dimension and appearance that dives “under the floor of the gallery.”

Slavčo Spirovski’s analytical spirit and research of spaciousness creates space for a different experience of the term sculpture, and through his presentation of the so-called sculptural metaphors he does not avoid the subtle critique of the contemporary appearance, existence and reading of the meanings of sculpture.

Maja Čankulovska – Mihajlovska