Skopje, 29 September 2026 (MIA) — European Dialogues, a four-day international forum focused on common European heritage, collective memory, civil society initiatives and the future of the EU, opens Tuesday evening in Skopje with an exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

The exhibition, titled « La solidarité comme avenir » (“Solidarity as a Future”), honors the international cultural generosity that poured into Skopje after the catastrophic 1963 earthquake. At the time, artists from France and other European nations donated their works to help the city build the museum’s Skopje Solidarity Collection.

Visitors will be able to view works by world-renowned French, Macedonian and European artists, including French painter celebrated for his abstract Outrenoir (“beyond black”) style Pierre Soulages (1919-2022) and Hungarian-French painter widely recognized as the “grandfather” of the Op Art movement Victor Vasarely (1906-1997). Also on display will be artworks by Macedonian lyrical realist and expressionist painter known for his art series “Mother with Child” and other deeply emotional pieces of portraiture Nikola Martinoski (1903-1973).

Running from Sept. 29 through Oct. 2, the European Dialogues will feature public debates, lectures, workshops and other events. Participants include researchers, journalists, activists, artists, students, diplomats and officials from France and across Europe.

The forum serves as the finale for the Shared Horizons program, a regional initiative funded by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and implemented by Expertise France to help young people connect, bridge national and ethnic divides and bring Western Balkan countries closer to the EU.

The events end Friday at Laboratorium with a DJ set by French DJ Mils and Macedonian DJ Darko.

The European Dialogues forum is organized by the French Institute in Paris, the French Institute in Skopje and the Embassy of France.