Women in Macedonian Architecture: Rebuilding Skopje, © Graphic: Contineo, 2025
Women in Macedonian Architecture:
Rebuilding Skopje
In the context of the intensive global debate on the role of women in society and, consequently, in the professions, the project examines the position of women in architecture. In the specific context of the former Yugoslavia, women architects achieved equal access to the profession, managed large projects of all types, and received significant awards. Although the theme is broad, the project “Women in Macedonian Architecture: Rebuilding Skopje” limits its focus both territorially and chronologically, concentrating on the period that is undoubtedly the most significant in the recent architectural history of the city of Skopje.
The exhibition »Women in Macedonian Architecture: Rebuilding Skopje« concludes the BHROX program focus on »modern Emancipation« in 2025, which was started with the »WIA2025-Festival« in June. The exhibition, conceived by the curators and authors of the research – Ana Ivanovska Deskova, Vladimir Deskov, Jovan Ivanovski, Tea Damjanovska, and Mihajlo Stojanovski – premiered at the Museum of Macedonia in 2021 and was later showcased at the MC Gallery in New York in 2025.
At BHROX in Berlin the exhibition will be presented from November 25 to December 14, 2025, as part of the »TDM2025 – Triennale der Moderne«, the fifth edition of the architectural festival in Berlin, Dessau, and Weimar, and as well as part of the decentralized and transnational program of the pilot edition of the »ETOM2025pilot Festival« in the framework of the »ETOM – European Triennial of Modernism« in cooperation with BHROX bauhaus reuse.
The mid-20th century saw a significant change for women in Macedonian society as a new political, economic, and social environment emerged. Women entered numerous professions that were previously male-dominated. As a comprehensive modernization and emancipation project swept the nation, women architects played an equal role in shaping the new living space. Their contribution was particularly profound during the post-earthquake reconstruction of Skopje. The 1960s, 70s, and early 80s were a highly creative time for pioneers like Mimoza Tomikj, Vera Kjosevska, Ljubinka Malenkova, Olga Papesh, Vasilka Ladinska, and many others.
These women were educated at prestigious architectural schools in Belgrade, Zagreb, and Ljubljana, which served as direct links to modernist ideas from European hubs like Paris, Berlin, and Vienna. After returning to Skopje, they were crucial in shaping the local architectural scene and promoting modernist ideals to a new generation.
In light of the ongoing global discussion about the role of women in society and architecture, this exhibition aims to explore, document, and celebrate the legacy of these remarkable planners, architects, and designers. The goal is to increase the visibility and appreciation of their work, ensuring the rich cultural heritage they created is recognized and valued by future generations.
»Comrades and Team Players – Women Who Built Berlin, Capital of the GDR«
Dialogic Guided Tour
27 November, 3:00–4:00 PM
Berlinische Galerie, Alte Jakobstraße 124–128, 10969 Berlin
Dorothea Krause at the architecture model for the planning project »Ernst Thälmann Park,«around 1986 © Berlinische Galerie
Join a dialogue-based guided tour with Ana Ivanovska Deskova and Vladimir Deskov (Contineo), together with Katharina Deppisch (Berlinische Galerie). This conversation-driven format sheds light on the work and influence of female architects and urban planners in East Berlin and Skopje between 1945 and 1989.
Through an exchange between the curators of the exhibitions »Comrades and Team Players – Women Who Built Berlin, Capital of the GDR« (Berlinische Galerie) and »Women in Macedonian Architecture: Rebuilding Skopje« (BHROX bauhaus reuse), the tour explores historical narratives, shared experiences, and the often underrecognized role of women in shaping modern architecture and urban development during this transformative era.
Tickets:
Participation in the tour is included in the regular museum admission.
Registration:
On-site registration in the foyer before the start of the tour. As capacity is limited, early arrival is recommended.
More information available HERE.
Presenting the exhibition »Women in Macedonian Architecture: Rebuilding Skopje« at BHROX bauhaus reuse as collaborative program contribution of Contineo and BHROX is also a milestone project of the »ETOM NEB Lab«, which is an official Lab-project within the framework of »NEB – New European Bauhaus« dealing with the genesis of the Trans-European heritage and future of Modernism, with focus on Central Europe.
