Photo: Ivo Velcevski
Installation view: Водата спие, Душманот не спие, 2026
Installation view of international cultural festival ‘Водата спие, Душманот не спие’ bringing together art, photography and public workshops around water and the city of Bitola. The festival connected artists and cultural organizations through its exhibition and workshops across the city. Co-founded by artist Dafina Nestorovski and anthropologist Dushica Bracikj.
Read more about the festival, the exhibition and the community events in ‘Latest projects and events’.
Latest projects and events
-
![Installation image: Водата спие, Душманот не спие, 2026]()
Art and Photography Exhibition: Водата спие, Душманот не спие
Gallery Магаза, Bitola
North Macedonia, 2026 -
![A photo of the Soap-making workshop part of festival Водата спие, Душманот не спие.]()
Festival workshop Soap-making
Public soap-making workshop led by artist and co-founder Dafina Nestorovski as part of Festival Водата спие, Душманот не спие
Gallery Garden Магаза, Bitola
North Macedonia, 2026 -
![A photo of the Water Filtration Workshop, part of Festival Водата спие, Душманот не спие]()
Festival Workshop Water Filtration
Public Water Filtration Workshop by Biology student Research Society as part of Festival Водата спие, Душманот не спие
Kafe Tigre, Bitola
North Macedonia, 2026 -
![Tea Workshop and Lecture]()
Festival Tea Workshop and Lecture by Prof. Dr. Ilina Jakimovska
Public Tea Workshop and Lecture as part of Festival Водата спие, Душманот не спие with Prof. Dr. Ilina Jakimovska
Kafe Tigre, Bitola
North Macedonia, 2026
Portfolio
For more information and photos, click the image next to the text
International cultural festival Водата спие, Душманот не спие.
Supported by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of North Macedonia and the Embassy of the Netherlands in Skopje.
An international cultural festival bringing together art, photography and community events in the shape of three workshops around water and the city of Bitola. The festival connected art, anthropological history and cultural organizations through its exhibition and workshops across the city.
Co-founded and curated by Dafina Nestorovski, who also exhibited as artist and led the soap-making workshop.
Gallery Магаза, part of the Institute and Museum Bitola.
North Macedonia, 2026.
International cultural festival Водата спие, Душманот не спие.
Installation view 1
Photo: Ivo Velcevski
Historical rugs lay the foundation for the sculptural impression of the river Dragor, a significant body of water that runs through the region of Bitola, North Macedonia.
Across the Dragor clothes have been strung out to dry, hanging above both sides of the sculptural river. On the manipulated ‘wet’ clothes and the wall behind the sculpture, a video of de river is projected.
The washline casts a shadow on the wall, symbolizing the similar customs from both the past and present through their shared relationship with water.
International cultural festival Водата спие, Душманот не спие.
Installation view 2
Photo: Ivo Velcevski
Пиралка, an old tool used for washing textiles commonly used in the Balkans for hundreds of years.
Displayed next to the washline sculpture for the exhibition.
International cultural festival Водата спие, Душманот не спие.
Installation view 3
Photo: Ivo Velcevski
Who’s talking?
Sit down for a moment and bring your ear closer to the old drainpipe to hear personal stories of Macedonian villagers sharing their memories of a river that once fed their fields, but has since dried out.
International cultural festival Водата спие, Душманот не спие.
Soap-making Workshop
OSTEN Biennial of Contemporary Visual Arts 2026
A selection of previous work of Dafina Nestorovski, recently selected by OSTEN's curator to be featured in the official catalogue for the OSTEN Biennial of Contemporary Visual Arts 2026.
Skopje, North Macedonia, 2026
OSTEN Biennial of Contemporary Visual Arts
Catalogue selected work 1
‘Blue, Black on White’
OSTEN Biennial of Contemporary Visual Arts
Catalogue selected work 2
‘Teething’
OSTEN Biennial of Contemporary Visual Arts
Catalogue selected work 3
‘Reaching out Backwards’
Group Exhibition
‘Untitled Straw Installation’
‘Untitled Straw Installation’ is a sculptural work completely made out of individual straw stalks by Dafina Nestorovski and invites viewers to move around or into the sculpture, exploring the tension between feeling protected and feeling exposed, allowing the audience to navigate this themselves, alone or together.
Two discreet openings create a space that can be entered and shared. The installation is made from straw, a material often associated with insulation and shelter, and is inspired by natural forms such as cocoons and nests.
The Hague, The Netherlands, 2025
Independent Project
‘Untitled’
An old rusted pair of scissors completely sewn into a piece of cloth. The thread follows the shape of the scissors and holds them firmly in place, concealing the scissors beneath the fabric.
Technically still physically present, the scissors can however no longer perform their function. They cannot open or close, their sharp edges are covered, their material presence is reduced to a soft raised outline.
The object remains, but its recognisable identity has been stripped away. What remains of identity when everything that defines it has been taken away or changed?
The Hague, The Netherlands, 2024
Independent Project
‘Momentum’
A large piece of cloth shaped into a flowing form and hardened in that shape using sugar water.
A technique used in Eastern Europe and former Yugoslavia, Dafina Nestorovski’s grandmother inspired this work in her, using it to stiffen cloth for her own projects.
After manipulating it into shape, the hardened cloth was then hung in a staircase, where people are constantly moving around it. The momentum of the cloth has been stopped in its flow, while the movement around it continues.
The Hague, The Netherlands, 2024
Dafina Nestorovski is a fine artist mainly active as a sculptor, installation and mixed media artist. Her practice explores the material and associative qualities of objects and their surroundings, and how they can carry meaning, memory and a sense of place. She is particularly interested in how materials change through time and process, as well as how their transformations can evoke personal and cultural memories. Drawing from her bicultural background, her work often considers relationships between belonging, identity and physical place. She holds a BA in Fine Arts from the Royal Academy of Art The Hague, the Netherlands.
About
Active in
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Skopje, North Macedonia
Bitola, North Macedonia
Media Coverage and Support
Supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Skopje, 2026.
Supported by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of North Macedonia, 2026.
OSTEN Biennial for Contemporary Visual Arts Catalogue Feature, 2026.
BK-informatie Vakblad voor Beeldende Kunstenaars (Dutch Trade Magazine for Fine Artists), 2025.