The Ohrid art phenomenon, which emerged in the mid-twentieth century and continues to make an impact today, has successfully garnered recognition and appreciation within significant international artistic circles. The fine artist Jordan Manasijeski has made the most significant contribution to this exceptionally significant fact, the development, the affirmation, and the authenticity of contemporary Macedonian art. 

Besides Vangel Naumoski, an artist whose creative journey began to illuminate the art scene from the late seventies of the previous century through a distinctive expression in “naive” painting, witnessed in the renowned Yugoslav arenas of that time and showcased in Western art spheres, is also Jordan Manasijeski. His artistic path possesses a unique, almost ascetic style that leaves an impression, gradually but steadfastly earning admiration for its exceptional artistic merits.

It is safe to say today, that to a large extent, his creative expression in that period caused some change, at first very ‘invisible’, initially in the interpretation of the artistic environment of Macedonia in general.

Working, in a way, unnoticed, in his native Ohrid, he embarks on a profound and very important odyssey in development, one that intricately weaves art with love, the universe, and the cosmos, 

completely rejecting the notion of art as mere ‘aesthetic decorativeness’, a concept which even today is present due to the imposition of commissions, banking, and the crass materialism embodied in a snobbish demeanor that has completely separated visuality and creativity from the essence of man and his existence. 

From that beginning, Jordan in a certain way, assumes a missionary role through which he opens the essential existence of art in all directions. 

There are two parallel lines in the Macedonian art space. Those two parallel lines have never touched, and it is a good thing they have not, and across those two lines two states of transferring the energy are currently occurring.

Following one of these lines and according to that perspective Macedonian art is in a perpetual comparatively inferior position and is always placed in the position of being the art that is brought second hand. It means that artists draw inspiration from other centers and distinguished artists presenting their work here in a secondary manner. That is the position which has endured until today. Currently labeled as a “project,” it was once referred to as an “ideology.” In reality both terms convey a derogatory view of art, emphasizing its alienation and detachment from the emotions and hearts of both those who create and receive it.

The second position was determined mostly in writing about it by the poets, such as Petar Shirilov, Rendjov, Paskal Gilevski… They approached art in a poetic way and sought what is essential in art, avoiding the cliché and the accepted vocabulary of the interpretation conveyed by the Western theoretical and critical attitude towards art.

Jordan Manasijeski stands out as one of the rare and entirely authentic creators who never chose the path of ‘aesthetic epigonism. From his earliest creative impulse, he began his quest for the sign, his exploration of the mysteries of existence – why we are here, where we are headed, what is the meaning of it all. Art, like Noah’s ark of old, anchored in various harbors, resembling abandoned cottages, in which an icon continually radiates its light. It is a space where the image, besides that divine or theological component, is not only it adored, but also illuminated with reverence, people bow, kiss it, and pray to it. The characters depicted are not mere portraits, they are representations, which means the icon is an energetic representation of the spiritual – made in the image of man.

Jordan Manasijeski after that process of glorification of the line in the most nuanced and straightforward way. Yet, this art has not yet become a subject of study, because his artistic expression captures a state associated with a particular light and colour which most of the time remain unfamiliar to us, which come from some sources, crucial and essential, as well as from some flashes of light, which determine our true existence and which direct us where and how we should navigate. This stands in contrast to the line, a context in which we are deliberately positioned as inferior in certain art forms.

Just a small digression, Art in Europe in a way ends with Munch’s cry and with impressionism and post-impressionism art which expressed the cry of the earth, so cruelly, so fiercely attacked only to extract the material from her and destroy the maternal.

Jordan walks along the line of that maternal care, navigating the realm of symbolism that encapsulates all alphabets, both present and future. Jordan ventures into the palette from which galaxies are born, exploring the space where the crystalline essence of painting thrives.

Today to talk about such art in the devalued flood of industrialized and profane images, and to speak of pure, direct, most honest most pristine art is impossible.

This is the time when installations and gags have become the main benchmarks of our life, and at a time when bank capital determines what art will be, and in what manner. In addition, the biggest defenders of impressionism ended tragically, rejected, destroyed, driven mad, on purpose, since they reached as far as we are now, to this point that we have come to, since we have no other way out.

What is the essence of Jordan Manasijeski’s art philosophy?

This space, this region continues to give artists who should not be compared, but they are authentic authors, they remain their own, authors who are open to the landscape that comes from elsewhere, to the landscape that contains all the alchemy and essence of love and of life. In this direction, a reverse process is now taking place. One Sisyphean line continues to move along the path of the comparison, along the path of ideology, along the path of projects, which are abundant, and in the way of financing  the empty projects, and the other line moves along the path of modesty, along the way of loading that Noah’s ark because when that ship feels that it doesn’t belong here, it leaves for some distant landscapes unknown to us.

In this context, it is crucial to highlight that his approach stands in stark contrast to technology, technique, academicism, and similar aspects in the realm of painting. Virtually, all his artworks are crafted with a painter’s trowel, with minimal or no involvement of a brush. It transcends mere artistic technique; rather, it embodies a profound artistic hesychasm where the hand’s gesture aligns directly with the rhythmic prayer of the heart. This connection is intimately tied to the pulsation of the universe within us.

In addition, this is an extremely rare example in modern times, to approach art with absolute honesty, freedom and transfer of the deep energy that is from space with a different perspective and ‘distances’. Jordan, with the trowel, does not control or trap the color, which is inherent in working with the brush, forcing it and destroying it according to some laws that are not of the world on the universal creation. With the trowel, he releases the color completely. it speaks, expresses herself, and radiates. In such a way, he opens all the so far closed spaces of knowledge that are mostly invisible, unknown and distant from us. Through the liberated colour he reaches certain spiritual states that are in the most direct correlation with the Universe. His painting is not only a demonstration of skill or visual inspiration for the decoration of the unimportant earthly human urban spaces.

Jordan is currently filling that vessel with eternal life. This principle of his, his levitating way of creating his paintings is a kind of fluid, an extract which compels Europe now to compare to us, Europe now needs this breakthrough, Europe is in need for this archetype, Europe impoverished, cruel to the artists, persecuting them, is now starting here to reveal the art that is direct, that is related to its essence. Europe, and not only Europe, that fine art omnibus that includes Asia, America, and today all of them discover that creative, visionary, prophetic and missionary role that Jordan has spread tirelessly, for decades in all directions of existence. It’s not just painting, it is also light from which the life and essence of the whole existence-earthly and above-earthly is created.

This deep ecstatic, this shamanistic art ritual of his travels through all spaces, sees our life, everything takes care of it and recreates it.

In Bitola there is one group VDIST, there is Trajkovski, I am not going to use symbols and styles because it has nothing to do with us, it creates a great melancholy and nostalgia for the truth. And in Prilep Jordan Grabul and Mitrikjeski pull the eternity of our existence out of the stone. It is high time these three cities time united, creating a gallery of authentic art, which at the moment is needed, both by New York, Florence and Japan because the world needs to return to the beginning.

This beginning is present in Jordan’s art very strongly at the moment, he conveys that energy that comes from sources known only to him, which causes the eyes of the people who look at his paintings to fill with tears, they are tears of joys, cathartic tears, tears of getting closer to those spaces that Jordan knows best, his ark with the preserved life of creation, a ship that is already in the horizon of eternity.

The Bukefal gallery from Ohrid, owned by Ljupco Zhupan, has created a masterpiece of publishing in general, by publishing the huge monograph on Jordan Manasijeski and this represents not only a publishing venture that has to be remembered, but above all a universal civilizational condition. In the context of this are the memories and the interest of the art critic and art historian Yesha de Negri who finds the essential meaning of artistic creation in Jordan’s work, a confirmation that he transferred in a certain period in Bitola, participating as an international representative jury of the graphic triennial.

Thanks to Jordan’s massive body of work, who is yet to be discovered universally and not only as exceptional significant art but also as a need, a great need of people to they stare into his artistic depths, because that is where the souls of all of us are preserved, the souls that live through painting, the souls who illuminate us with dignity, nobility, love which some forces persistently try to take away from us.

Jordan does not merely paint; he is the keeper of the little piece of paradise that is left of us in this tragic Land. Therefore, his presence will become even more important and essential. This monumental monograph is a kind of spiritual deed for all of us. Its presentation and publication should also happen outside of Macedonia because the world needs that since we have forgotten to speak and since we have forgotten to paint.

Jordan and his painting is the beacon now.

He quietly, modestly, humanely gives to us without geometrical abstractions and installation labyrinths the directions to understand our expression, our feelings, our place in the universal system of existence, through that artistic symphonism of his that is connecting the heart with the feelings, the heart with the pulsation of the star system.

His paintings touch the heavenly heights, this monograph dedicated to him is the galaxy in which the new enlightened, expanded, freed from all evils Man can be found.

Vlado Gjoreski

Bitola, 14.12.2023