art historian, curator, cultural worker based in Vienna

The launch of the book Distaff: Contemporary Embroidery in the Former Yugoslav Countries, edited by Amalija Stojsavljević, took place on Thursday, June 4, at 6:30 p.m. The event was accompanied by an intimate exhibition presenting a selection of textile and embroidery works by Hristina Ivanoska, Zorica Zafirovska, and Darko Aleksovski—artists whose practices are featured in the publication. The exhibition remained on view until June 9, 2026.

​

Conceived as a conversation between Amalija Stojsavljević, a Serbian curator and cultural worker, and the participating artists Hristina Ivanoska, Zorica Zafirovska, and Darko Aleksovski, the event in Skopje reflected on their sustained engagement with textile and embroidery as artistic media.

​

The discussion explored why textile has long been marginalized within the field of art and what changes when artists embrace it as a medium of critique, resistance, and connection.

​

Photo by Yane Calovski