This photographic and video series was created for the poetry anthology Contemporary Macedonian Poetry, featuring portraits of poets whose voices define the current literary landscape of Macedonia. The photographs were taken to accompany their written work, translating poetic presence into visual form. Each portrait is made in natural light and simple settings, emphasizing individuality without distraction. Rather than illustrating the poems, the images seek to capture the space between thought and expression where language begins to take shape. Together, they form a visual anthology that mirrors the diversity and intimacy of contemporary Macedonian literature.

The accompanying video portraits extend this photographic approach, capturing each poet through a single, unbroken gaze. Filmed as they would be in a still portrait, the camera observes subtle gestures and temporal shifts, nuances that unfold only through duration. Some poets remain completely still; others move, fidget, or adjust under the pressure of being seen. Each video becomes a study of presence, reflecting the individual’s response to observation and time.

Across both mediums, the series explores the tension between stillness and motion, presence and absence, inviting the viewer to encounter the poets beyond language, through the immediacy of their being.