Ivo Sekulovski

‘Down the Jade Mountain’ is a concise exploration of identity crises across person, artist, family, country, and photography itself. Ivo Sekulovski, living in Italy and wrestling with belonging, embarks on a project in his hometown Ohrid, North Macedonia.

The book reads like a series of visual riddles, every page bustling with hints and symbols; some universally readable, some deeply and irredeemably personal. In it, Ivo explores and dissects his family dynamics, the multitude of cultures that compose his native country, and his scattered sense of self while all the time playing with the everconflicted relationship between photography, reality, and truth. With an un­settling ability to blur the lines between all these themes, we see family archival images intersecting with staged images of his parents and immaculate, eerie still lifes.

The medium suits the story—images hold mystery, blurring reality. Ivo’s play with photography raises questions on time, truth, memory, and reality.

(Chiara Bardelli Nonino)