Tomo Shijak
born in 1930 in Kosovo Polje, Yugoslavia (today North Macedonia), died in 1998 in Skopje
Musandra with Collide Waves, 1968
mixed media
MoCA Skopje
Tomo Shijak is one of the leading figures of the Macedonian avant-garde of the 1960s. His works combine painting and object art to create relief-like constructions made of wood, metal, and paint. The 1968 work Musandra with Collide Waves is part of a series. “Mousandra” refers to a traditional built-in cabinet, or a larger piece of built-in furniture, that was widespread throughout the Balkan region as far as Greece and was characterized by particularly rich woodwork. Today, a search for “Mousandra” on search engines primarily yields dance cafés and nightclubs. Shijak’s work, which is actually a bas-relief, also creates a mysterious space, combining different materials with a strict geometric arrangement of surfaces and elements. The title Musandra with Collide Waves also refers to sound waves. For a musical instrument—perhaps a gusle or a tambura from the Balkans—is also perceptible in the object. The “colliding waves” from the title also point to the phenomenon of interference—for when waves collide, they penetrate and superimpose one another undisturbed, and new patterns and rhythms can emerge. The work can thus be understood as an attempt to translate dynamic processes into a static form. At the same time, it reflects the 1960s’ interest in science, technology, and new models of perception.