Jasminka Novkovska is a Macedonian painter specialized and obtained master's degree in painting at the National Academy of Fine Art, Sofia, Bulgaria. Her works have always been an expression of the current life most frequently based on the principles of collage and strong color contrasts. The semantic search of effects and non-hidden will for the experiment on the first sight act as a “stroke”, but they essentially carry undisputed esthetic and art qualities expressed by a strong feeling for color, restless rhythm and balance. The painter governs the work to a perfection with aggressive acrylic tones and mutually opposed materials when she accomplishes an original plastic plane. She clever governs and combines yellow, violate, blue, green, rose, orange, red and colored paper with light plane, textile materials, bows, newspaper cuttings including other details. Plainly applicated colors and the connection with up-to-date visuall sense at one's own request brings nearer the work of Jasminka Novkovska to the pop-art. With the exhibition of “Lost souls” held in July, this year, at the National Museum of Fine Art for Foreign Painters Jasminka Novkovska again “awake” the passions, when she provokes both, herself and the audience with “unbridled” countenance of malicious-daily themes. The exhibited paintings oppose the calm presence of the tradition in the cycle the “fragments of the monasteries” in the powerful waves of the up-to-date visual and political reality. At the same time, we observed a row of works “parts of a body”, drawn in chalk, which once more it was shown unusual view of the painter towards both, the nature and her original feeling for the plasticism. The excessive use of information, texts on some of her canvases frequently create some kind of “distortion” and disrupt of the artistic and esthetic qualities of the paintings.

Why you stress your attention on your paintings that expresses the political ideas?

I think that the politics has become a part of day-to-day life and I can not ignorate it. Everything has been politicized today. Maybe it has provoked me to make the paintings.

You have searched the problems in your exhibition in two directions-in the tradition and everyday life, but the attention has been concentrated on the political problems. Was it directed towards the main task completely?

The USA, as the strongest world power has become very influential over the rest of the world. Its politics carries the idea of globalization. In Europe the influence of globalization is being felt strongly. Everything has been Americanized, and the today's human being is commercialized. On the Balkan for example, it has been observed the tendency towards disruption of the traditional life. I have searched in my works the opposition between the tradition and spiritual values, which have been present in past periods, and to-day's living.

On one of your painting you have touched the theme of division of Macedonia. Are you not afraid that you might be accused for the propaganda of pro-Macedonian idea?

I don't think so. I have not been accused by anybody until now. Certainly it is my personal interpretation and my personal painful which has been narrated by the history.

Have the Bulgarian school and tradition changed you anything?

The Academy of Fine Art is mostly oriented towards the classical art and it has its own values. It might be better what is like it, because in the base of everything lies the classics in the human being, and when he/she has that experience, he or she can make whatever he or she likes. It should be respected its 105 years of tradition of this Academy, but there is a need of more public connection with up-to-date requirements. I have come here as a mature person, as a painter. I think that my studies here have been provoked much more by myself.