Dafina Shekutkoska
President
Dafina Shekutkovska was born on 04.07.1990 in Skopje Show More
, where she completed her studies in Theoretical Physics at the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of St. Cyril and Methodius. With the paper "Application of topology in the atmospheric sciences for prediction of atmospheric phenomena through pattern recognition" she participated in the seminar "Mathematics and Applications" at University of St. Cyril and Methodius, held on 14.12.2016. Transitioning from academia to practice, she volunteered at the Seismological Observatory Skopje before embarking on a five-year journey as a dedicated physics professor. She has a obtained a pedagogical qualification and passed the state education exam.
In 2020, she also completes her master's studies in Renewable Energy Sources with accent on cutting-edge research in experimental and theoretical work on advanced Solar Cells, at the Warsaw University of Technology and FEIT through a scholarship of the Erasmus Program.
In 2022 she became a member of Cultural Echos where among other projects, she leaded the research team for the analysis of current and past laws on urbanism, construction and environmental protection. She has also worked parallel in other ecological non-governmental organizations.
She completed a UX specialization from Google, and worked on different UX Projects, also she has undergone training in Python and Python for Data Science. She has knowledge of English language, also Polish, German and Italian.
Over the years, she accomplished herself as an artist, exploring the tiny border where beauty of science and art meet, exhibiting her works in group and solo exhibitions, among which these are the more significant:
2018 – Participation in the group exhibition 'Saatchi screen' at the Saatchi Gallery - London
2020 – Solo exhibition titled 'Bifurcations' at NLB Gallery - Skopje
2021 - Solo exhibition titled 'The Beauty of Quantum Particles and the Education System' at Mounting Gallery – Skopje (part of the Centre for Contemporary Art)
2022 – Solo exhibition titled "Language and Information Control" – in the space of the Youth Education Forum and that same year a retrospective exhibition of the Event Cultural Summer Vevcani
2023 - Solo exhibition titled "Portrait of the Audience" – at KIC Gallery – Cultural Information Center Skopje, In which she also did a performance “People from Concrete” together with actors-members of Cultural Echoes, where she was a director, scenographer and writer. The main goal of the performance was to raise the awareness and visibility among the citizens of the new General Urban Plan of Skopje 2023-2033, and at the same time to call on them to actively participate in it. It consisted of different types of movements and collisions between the two actors, which represented the thickened inhuman concretization, as well as their interaction with the audience, while the words "I am the new General Urban Plan for Skopje. You see me?” were uttered to the gaze of individuals from the audience.
With a knack for storytelling, she has also ventured into filmmaking, making a stop-motion short film titled "Chair" in 2021, where she is a writer, stage designer, director and producer, supported by a grant from Stiching Art 1, the Kingdom of Norway, Skopje Film Festival and the Queer and migrant film festival.
In 2023 she is the co-author of Cultural Echoes and Startup Macedonia initiative “Youth Hybrid Centers”, which was officially voted by the Government. She also actively participates in the creation of the podcast “Waiting for GUP”, in which she also filmed an episode titled “WHAT SHOULD WE CHANGE?”.
In November 2023, Dafina's multifaceted talents and leadership were recognized as she was officially elected President of Cultural Echoes, as a visionary bridging science, art, cultural and ecological advocacy.
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