About

Born in 1996, Viktor Naumovski (MK), from the age of thirteen, started off as self-taught within the field of Fashion photography. In 2015, after his first solo exhibition in Skopje, Macedonia, he moved to The Hague, The Netherlands, where he is currently a Photography (BA) student at The Royal Academy of Art. Investigating topics such as the borders of identity, exploration of the self and the role of documentation, Naumovski challenges the division between what is conventionally known as fact and fiction through composed narratives. His work is shown to be a multi-layered discourse between various media, such as performance, photography and video. Viktor Naumovski has recently been featured in Vogue Italia, Der Greif, and has presented his work with FOAM Fotomuseum Amsterdam at Les Rencontres de la Photographie (2017), Arles, France and Unseen Photo Festival (2017), Amsterdam, The Netherlands. He currently resides in London, United Kingdom.


Artist Statement

We as 'society' were born and raised to look at our surroundings in a certain way, just like we were taught the names of object and what they represent. But since I can remember, I have always been interested in something more than what we see. Born in a family with no artistic aspirations whatsoever but a lot of love and imaginative spirit, I was raised by listening to endless stories from books, alternative cinema and playing with my parents' animals in the Eastern suburbs. Consequently, there lies my artistic motivation and topics of interest. Through my work I explore myself, share a side of me with the world. Reappearing elements such as identity, cultural references, intimate and family relationships on one hand, and the ‘state of mind’, memory and imagination on the other hand are the key concepts of my investigation.


When making work, I tend to take ‘something' from the previously done project, a small gem that I shape and build around. May it be material or immaterial, it represents the starting point of my research. However, not everything is clarified and fixed in the beginning. Embracing play, experimentation and intuition, I take a journey alongside my project, and through creating and reflecting I find the focus and sharpness. The division between what is conventionally known as fact and fiction is constantly challenged through a rather unconventional way of storytelling, too honest to be fictive, too abstract to be documentary. Characters, places, objects, charged by my passion for the mysterious and grotesque, perform my stories, share my ideas, feelings with the viewer. This involves working with teams and collaborations, in which I take both the roles of director and subject.


Instead of accepting a ‘division’, I believe that every medium becomes more and more fluid and fold into one another. Therefore my narratives are presented as a multi layered discourse between various media such as performance, photography, video and sculpture.


Exhibitions

Good Work (2018),Greyspace In The Middle Gallery, The Hague, The Netherlands

Debarmaalo Museum (2017), Sindikat, Skopje, Macedonia

Thread Count, Der Greif, UNSEEN Photo Festival (2017), Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Let Me Tell You About, UNSEEN Photo Festival (2017), Amsterdam, The Netherlands

FOAM x ARLES, FOAM Museum/Les Rencontres de la Photographie (2017), Arles, France

A Breath of Fresh Air (2017), as part of Noun Presents Collective, Royal Academy of Art Gallery, The Hague

It is sort of a thing... (2017), Royal Academy of Art Gallery, The Hague, The Netherlands

VIKTOR SARAH EMMA (2015), SIA- Serious Interest Agency Gallery, Skopje, Macedonia


Selected Clients

Fashion Weekend Skopje FWSK

Mainstudio Amsterdam

Celio*

Fashion Group Adria

SIA-Serious Interest Agency

Alpha Model Management

Elite Model Management

Bastet Noir


Autonomous

No Crying in The Club (2018)

A family tree sprouts inside the corners of a frame. All that is inside reminds me of a time... Familiar leftovers of a song I used to recite in my sleep...'


In this project, I deal with my own history and changing relationship with home in Skopje, Macedonia. It was at the time, a summer of exploring my father's video camera together with tapes of my childhood. Taking these tapes, I filmed over them with new narratives of my family. Together, we retell stories and overwrite history with the same people, in the same place- 20 years later. The narrative tells of a storyteller, returning to a place that he was part of, a place he used to understand. Through ambiguous and emotional performances, the viewer is invited to take part on a vulnerable journey between imagination and memory.


Act 1: A love song (2017)

A story about what once was. A fond memory of me trying to explain my dreams to my ex girlfriend. After time has passed, going back to that moment, and retelling what once was very personal and private, just as I remember it.


It consists of two parts, I photograph another person as I would photograph myself, while constantly going through the moment over and over in my head. Self reflection process. The second part completes the work- I am performing as myself, wearing a replica of my face. As I tell the story to the viewer, I show the photographs one by one. Every time, the order of photographs is different. In that way, a generic narrative will be formed, always similar but never the same.

Afterimage (2017)

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Joker Makes Shooting Star (2016)

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Comissioned

We Know What You Are Hiding (2017)
for Vogue Italia

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4Magazine Cover Story (2017)

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Get Set (2017)

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We All Had Better Days (2016)

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