Iskra Geshoska is an art historian, festival organiser, and director of the NGO Kontrapunkt in North Macedonia. After completing her studies, she initially worked as an editor and essayist for various national and international art and literature magazines and journals. In 2001, she founded the NGO Kontrapunkt and the cultural centre Tocka to support young artists in their projects and thus contribute to a confident independent cultural scene. Tocka was forced to close in 2010 following political intervention. Until 2017, the cultural scene in North Macedonia was characterised by censorship and intimidation measures. Since the founding of Kontrapunkt, Iskra Geshoska has been a co-initiator of several networks that are committed to connecting the independent art scenes throughout the region. Iskra Geshoska is also active as a publisher and regularly translates and publishes important titles in contemporary theory. She is co-founder of several festivals for contemporary art theory, philosophy, art, and theatre. She advised the President of North Macedonia on cultural affairs from 2019 to May 2024.
Justification of the award
As an art historian and pioneer in the field of cultural support structures, Iskra Geshoska plays a formative role in the independent art scene in North Macedonia. With the NGO Kontrapunkt, which she founded, and the opening of the cultural centre Tocka, she has created important platforms for the country’s independent cultural scene, helping it to gain a new confidence. She is a co-founder of the CRIC Festival of Critical Culture and the Kooperativa network, which promotes European cultural exchange throughout the post-Yugoslav region. Iskra Gesoska’s work as author and editor, in collaboration with the Templum publishing house and her Digital Agora project, has enabled the translation and popularisation of numerous German authors in North Macedonia, including Joseph Beuys, Alexander Kluge, and Joseph Vogl. She thereby contributes to the cross-societal transfer of knowledge and diversity of perspectives in North Macedonia.
