Dear guests,Distinguished artists and friends of art,

Tonight it is a great honor for me to open the guest exhibition Gold Dust of the family of artists from Ljubljana: Biljana Unkovska-Spanzel, Rudolph Spanzel and Dorian Spanzel. 

At the same time, I would like to thank Dr. Andrej Shemrov, a Curator from the National Museum of Slovenia, since this exhibition enables the Macedonian public to have an integrated insight into the artistic works of three painters with utterly distinctive traits, yet united in a significant phenomenological intersection: design of, and with, currency. In addition, we also express our gratitude to NLB Bank AD Skopje for the generous support in the implementation of this art project in Skopje.

Tonight, on the eve of the day when 25 years ago the Republic of Macedonia declared its own monetary independence, this exhibition, hosted by the National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia, undoubtedly reflects the artistic evolutionary path of the Macedonian denar. Namely, 21 years ago, the National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia printed the existing edition of Macedonian banknotes whose design bears the signature of Biljana Unkovska as a winner of the design contest for the new look of Macedonian banknotes, announced by our institution. Her creative designs decorate all commemorative gold and silver coins issued by the National Bank between 1996 and 2004. I would like to thank her for creating small works of art that attract our attention not only for the economic semantics of the figure denoting their nominal value.

I would like to emphasize that I am pleased that tonight with art we mark a significant social and economic process that constituted the independent Republic of Macedonia. Also, we are undoubtedly pleased that this opportunity has the potential to be yet another impetus for new and successful collaborations between our two friendly countries. 

Thank you.