BOSH Festival 29–30.08
City Hammam Gallery / August 29 / 20:00
“PoPuSt” – Marija S. Bogdanovska
Exhibition of drawings in mixed media and installation
The “PoPuSto%” project is based on the power of consumer society in our region. The main focus is on highlighting the differences in women’s economic power in all spheres of society, and how these differences affect their emotional, social, and cultural lives. It questions how women’s financial contributions are viewed during seasonal “sales” and how these contribute to their “validation” and “valuation.”
With a series of mixed-media drawings and a space-integrated installation, the project “PoPuSto%” takes on an interactive character, sparking reflection and self-questioning among the audience: Are they themselves on discount? Are the works on discount? Culture? Or perhaps society itself?
Marija Sotirovska Bogdanovska is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Skopje. She has received two awards: Second Prize at the World Art Biennale (2005, Museum of the City of Skopje), Special Prize “Pontedipjetra” at Paratissima, MKC, Skopje.
She has held seven solo exhibitions, participated in three as part of the group ART-I.N.S.T.I.T.U.T., thirteen with the collective MOMI, and countless group shows. She has also worked as a set designer for the ballet “Raymonda” at the Macedonian National Theatre, Skopje.
Cultural Center / August 29 / 20:00
“Street Dreaming” – Stole Angelov
Photography exhibition
A collection of street photography captured across cities in Europe and the Balkans. Contrasts, compositions, and frames from seemingly ordinary moments of street and urban life—each telling a new story, a truth, or a state of being.
Stole Angelov, born in 1979 in Strumica, developed an interest in photography during his student years. He has worked professionally in photography for 15 years, and in videography and editing for 5 years. He has participated in numerous national and international exhibitions, with several solo shows. He has completed many successful video projects and co-authored a feature-length documentary. He is an active supporter of the local independent art scene.
“On Flippers” – Jovan Gakovski
Video Art
A video art piece created from glitch-edited 90s pinball game visuals, telling a visual story from “Start Game” to “Final Boss,” all set to music.
This piece is a montage of fragmented footage from 1990s pinball video games. It follows the rhythm of music and the structure of a classic video game: starting with “Start New Game,” followed by “Level 1,” “Level 2,” “Level 3,” and finally “Final Boss.” Glitch effects—visual distortions and interruptions—transition between games, creating a chaotic yet artistically curated audiovisual experience. The images, sounds, and characters are decontextualized, but together they form a coherent audiovisual composition that evokes childhood, nostalgia, and decaying digital memory.
Jovan Gakovski is a visual and performance artist. He graduated in printmaking and scenography under Prof. Mirko Vujisić at the Faculty of Fine Arts, University “Ss. Cyril and Methodius,” Skopje. Since 2022, he is a member of “Partisan Press.” He has participated in numerous group exhibitions and performances in Macedonia and abroad.
“The Body in Space” – Kristina Debsi
Painting exhibition
“The Body in Space” is an exhibition in which Kristina uses acrylic drawings and collages to explore the body as a subject that transforms the space around it. The works challenge traditional visual representations of the male and female body, placing them in worlds built from architectural elements and surrealist motifs. The space is not merely a background but an active participant in the dialogue with the body—chaotic, colorful, and intimate.
Kristina has been drawing since early childhood, taking her first art classes during elementary school. Though she holds a degree in International Relations, her art is deeply connected to feminist ideas and the personal drive to break bodily stereotypes. Architecture holds a central place in her visual thinking—as form, as space, and as symbol.
Art Book Exhibition Room:
“Trash Treasure” – Ilina Gjorgjievska / Partisan Press, Skopje 2025
“Void” – Ivan Ivanovski / Flip Book, Skopje 2023
“Print” (Печат) – Group of Authors / Art Equilibrium, Skopje 2021
“Doberman” – Igor Hofbauer / Klub Močvara, Zagreb 2024
“Valium” – Valium / Matrijaršija, Crna Hronika, Belgrade 2024
“Društvo loše sreće” – Tužni Marin u čizmama / Smak Press, Zagreb 2025
“Andrea’s Bolus Noise Book” – Andreas Bolus / Longest Night, Gothenburg 2024
“Lonesome Testicle” – Jerome Records / La Dernier Cri, Marseille 2022
“Apanha Nos de Surpresa” / Arara, Porto 2023
Film Screenings
“Luka” (29’50”) – Documentary Film / Produced by the Association for Culture Tranzen
The film Luka portrays the lives of a group of young musicians from Strumica, who, during times of crisis for the survival of the alternative cultural scene, struggle to find ways to express their musical creativity and innovation. In an era of endless societal transition, these young artists are forced to seek alternative paths for creating and presenting their original art, while also resisting a consumerist world dominated by “mass appeal” as a cheap and quick way of practicing culture— a world that has a negative and damaging effect on the development of authentic and pure artistic creation.
The script is written by Nikola Pijanmanov, and the film is directed by Ice Viranov.
Ice Viranov was born in Strumica in 1983. A film and television author, he has worked on several film projects.
Nikola Pijanmanov graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Skopje in the class of Rubens Korubin in 2005. He has held numerous solo and group exhibitions both in the country and abroad, as well as many public artworks in open space. He is actively engaged in painting, sculpture, and set design.
“Blue Hour” (18’27”) – Short Film / Ana Jakimska
Petra, a girl from a small provincial town, is living her dream in Skopje. At the company’s pre-New Year’s party, she embarks on a romantic adventure with the colleague she likes. But at the same time, her mother comes to visit. This coincidence of events puts the mother-daughter relationship to the test and shakes Petra’s world. Petra’s inner conflict between dreams and reality reflects the clash of two different lifestyles—modern urban living and the conservative beliefs of her upbringing.
Ana Jakimska is a film director and writer who lives between two very different metropolises: Skopje and London. Her debut film The Children Will Come was in the official selection at the Shanghai Film Festival in 2017 and was awarded and screened at over 50 festivals worldwide. In 2022, Ana received the prestigious Chevening Scholarship awarded by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In 2023, she successfully completed her Master’s program in Fiction Directing at Goldsmiths, University of London. Her graduation film No Ghosts in the Foreign Land was successfully funded through a public donor campaign and serves as the basis for the development of her debut feature film.
“Only the Devil Hates Water” (17’) – Short Film / Lidija Mojsovska
The friendship between Boris and Kira is put to the test when Boris, influenced by his grandmother, begins to suspect that his friend is possessed by the Devil. This leads him to question her sincerity—until Kira reveals the painful truth about her life.
Lidija Mojsovska is a Macedonian film director who graduated from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Skopje, specializing in Film and TV Directing. Her debut short film The Award (2017) tells the story of a 10-year-old Albanian Muslim boy named Arben, who enters a Christian religious contest to win a 10,000-denar prize in order to help his sick brother. The film was screened at over 50 festivals and won 18 international awards, including Best Balkan Film at the Balkan Film Festival in the USA.
Her latest short film, Only the Devil Hates Water (2022), was developed at the European Short Pitch in 2019 and premiered at the POFF Shorts International Short Film and Animation Festival in 2022.
Café Bar U / 10:30 PM
Martchin – DJ Set
Martchin has been musically trained since an early age, and over the years, his activities have included participation in radio stations, magazines, and festivals. As a DJ, he has been active on the electronic music scene since 2003. His sets are known for their eclectic and carefully structured narrative, navigating through various genres—from electronica, leftfield house, and techno, to ambient textures and industrial rhythms. His selection is based on a deep knowledge of the history and context of electronic music.
Martchin has a strong presence on the scene, with a rich and diverse portfolio. He has performed and shared the stage with musicians such as Ontal, Lag, Jan Nemecek, Le Chocolat Noir, Alec Empire, T. Raumschmiere, Anstam, Monolake, Anthony Rother, Headless Horseman, Sascha Funke, Electric Indigo, Terence Fixmer, Octave, Polar Inertia, DoubtingThomas, Ness, Brando Lupi, Deepbass, Shackleton, Rommek, Torn Relics, Bas Mooy, SHXCXCHCXSH, Vatican Shadow, NHK’Koyxen, Øresund Space Collective.
As part of the seventeenth edition of the BOSH Festival, Martchin will perform a music set ranging from Leftfield House & Techno, EBM/Italo Body Music to Indiediscotronica.
Old Bazaar – August 30 / 8:00 PM
“Aesthetics, Postmodernism and Film” – Saša Stanišić and Jane Altiparmakov / screenings and discussion
This year, the BOSH Festival once again opens its screen to the radical, unconventional, and boldly authentic – an evening dedicated to AESTHETICS, POSTMODERNISM AND FILM will unite subcultural sensibilities, audiovisual hybridity, and the urban magic of the margins.
📽 “Mangava Disco Punk” – Premiere
“Mangava Disco Punk” (Romani translation: “I Love Disco Punk”) is an explosive drama/fiction that follows the only punk-rock band in the Roma ghetto of Šutka.
Frontman Elvis, named after the king of rock ‘n’ roll but stuck in the ruins of post-transitional reality, faces heartbreak, family rejection, and existential emptiness. In a hallucinatory, psychedelic night sequence, Elvis Presley appears to him as a taxi driver from Šutka and guides him through the labyrinth of his consciousness – a seemingly banal urban myth that becomes a metaphor for rebellion, identity, and the need for a voice.
The film plunges us into the kitschy yet painful realities of the postmodern Balkans, where the boundaries between documentary and fiction, satire and tragedy, are completely erased.
🎞 “The Hip – Reality Overdrive”
Next is the experimental video album “The Hip – Reality Overdrive”, a visual homage and parallel universe inspired by the second album of the alternative band The Hip.
Directed by Jane Altiparmakov, in collaboration with screenwriter Ljubiša Petruševski, this hybrid, associative piece is an art-mosaic filled with music, imagery, film quotes, and the poetics of postmodern fragmentation.
The cinematography by Nataša Geleva and editing by Karter, Stefanovski, and Ilievski create an audiovisual texture that not only represents the album but also translates its energy into a synesthetic experience.
Starring Anja Ilieva and Sanja Kostovska, with music entirely by The Hip, this project—recipient of an award for its contribution to the Macedonian alternative scene (MAN)—is both a document of its time and a vision for the future of experimental film.
🎬 The evening concludes with a short discussion on postmodern aesthetics in the local context and the potential for marginalized voices to redefine the very form of film.
Welcome to BOSH – where reality is reformulated, and aesthetics is a weapon.
Jane Altiparmakov, born August 14, 1977, in Skopje, where he lives and works. He studied Philosophy at “Ss. Cyril and Methodius” University, Cultural Studies at Eurocollege, and graduated in Film and TV Directing from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts – Skopje, under Professor Stole Popov in 2005.
A filmmaker, music enthusiast, film theory professor, and critic/art theorist. Author of over a hundred texts on film, the independent music scene, and culture, published in various domestic magazines, newspapers, and online platforms.
He has been a long-time music collaborator at the independent radio station Kanal 103. As a director and producer, he has signed numerous documentaries, short films, and video works.
Winner of the award for exceptional contribution and development of the Macedonian alternative scene (The Hip – Reality Overdrive) and a special award for a music film (The Hip – Brainstorm). He also works as a photo-documentarist.
Saša Stanišić – filmmaker, writer, and professor from Skopje.
He holds a degree in General and Comparative Literature from the Faculty of Philology in Skopje and in Film and TV Directing from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Skopje.
He directed several short films: Down from Heaven, Mangava Disco Punk (part of the omnibus Skopje Remix), Kaval (a short animated film), and PS Busan (filmed with an all-Korean crew as part of a directing residency in Busan, South Korea).
He is the author of the short story collection “Soured Pumpkins.”
Currently, he is a professor of Film and TV Directing at the International University Europa Prima in Skopje.
Visual Installation
“Collateral Damage” – Ice Kapsarov / Visual Installation
Light remembers what the self tries to forget.
In this immersive installation, projected light is both witness and wound – it follows the contours of what remains when the core disintegrates. Haunting images spread across the walls, dissolve into shadows, fracture like memories under pressure.
These works don’t scream. They flicker. They haunt.
“Collateral Damage” invites you into a space where beauty and violence coexist – not in balance, but in tension. The light that blinds also reveals.
Here, the peripheries are illuminated: the neglected, the unintended, the sacrificed.
Pause. Let the fragments move around you. Let silence speak.
Ice Kapsarov, born in 1982 in Gevgelija, is a graphic designer with 15+ years of experience, working in visual and multimedia art.
He has participated in numerous group exhibitions and projects. Lives and works in Skopje.
Installation: “Insatiables” / Collage Installation
“Insatiables” is a phenomenon of collage-making using propaganda posters, aimed at active socializing through cutting, rethinking, engaging, and activating.
Initially sparked by Jana Delovska and Damjan Ilić, it continues to evolve—turning conflict into communication, slicing propaganda into critique.
Concerts
Harakiri – Live
Andrej Dimovski – guitar, vocals
Marko Pečenović – bass, vocals
Viktor Stojanovski – drums
Harakiri is a rock trio from Skopje, formed in 2021. The trio found their shared voice in a world of murky riffs, fast rhythms, and heavy drums—evolving gradually but ending abruptly.
Their debut, self-titled EP consists of four tracks, all born from early jam sessions but later carefully selected and rearranged to form a more structured and angular sound while maintaining their initial rawness.
Pijan Slavej – Live (New Macedonian Chanson)
Pijan Slavej – vocals, guitar
Pece Trajkovski-Brada – guitar, synth
Andrea Mircheska – mini piano, vocals
Goce Jovanovski – bass
Slavcho Jovev – drums
“Pijan Slavej” is a musical-poetic project by Branislav Nikolov (of the band Foltin), alongside Pece Trajkovski, Andrea Mircheska, Goce Jovanovski, and Slavcho Jovev. At its core lies the idea to create a new Macedonian chanson that instinctively modernizes the nostalgic sound of musical poetry from the 1960s and 70s.
Formed in late 2021, their debut performance was at Skopje’s OFFest. The following year, the Skopje Jazz Festival released their first, self-titled EP.
They’ve since performed at D-Festival, Druga Godba in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and more. In 2024, their second EP “Nudist” was released by the Skopje Jazz Festival.
“Songs that lean on the originality and charm of his lyrics (such as Perfume, Let It Be Blood, Sun—already popular on social media), but even more on the unique energy that seems to belong only to him, and that we, the fans, deeply recognize.
Driven by his collaborators, he dives into the soul of Macedonia’s 1970s pop scene (echoing singers like Dime Popovski or the drama of Zafir Hadžimanov…), daring to address chanson icons on a global scale.”
Pijan Slavej (a.k.a. Branislav Nikolov) is a music performer, author, and singer from the band Foltin.
With Foltin, he has released over ten studio albums and created music for more than thirty theater productions and several films, including Oscar-nominated Honeyland, and award-winning titles like Secret Ingredient, With Love, Cash & Marry, and others.
He has performed across Croatia, Italy, Austria, Slovenia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Russia, Montenegro, England, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Belgium, Turkey, and the Czech Republic.
He has received multiple awards for his work.
In 2018, he performed with the Macedonian Philharmonic.
In late 2021, he formed Pijan Slavej and also performs solo as a singer-songwriter.
He has published four poetry collections (“Bed-ism and Horizontal,” 2018; “Little Hearts,” 2020; “Polygraph,” 2022; and “A Language for Two,” 2024).
Music: Gjogji Janevski
“103 Radio Report” – All-day weekend radio coverage of the BOSH Festival on Kanal 103.
