I have no formal education in ceramic art. I had studied textile design and worked as a costume designer in the theaters and film industry for 25 yrs.
Then life (and death) led me towards the beauty of ceramics.
At first, I was drawn to clay by my need and love for nature. Suddenly, I was impressed by those two main elements of the ceramic world; soil/clay and fire/wood firing. I have started coil building my first pots, searching and exploring forms I could reach with that beautiful origin technique. After just a short time, I have found myself at the rented pottery wheel, splashing the clay around while trying to master the centering of a lump. “Mud” was everywhere, but love was too. I invested in my own wheel and a small electrical kiln.
The process was sped up. Learning by trial and error, I became more confident and opened a tiny gallery in Zagreb, Croatia, 5 min. away from my home and studio. I have finally built my professional life around my family and my house ( no more film sets on distant locations, long hours and days away from my child).
I do use a lot of so-called commercial clay. It took me a while to find the one that suits me and my forms the best. I feel confident in their consistent recipes, especially when making tableware.
They are very reliable!
On the other hand, there is nothing more attractive to a ceramist than to dig up its own clay, mine the ingredients individually, combine them into a specific recipe, or use it raw and unpurified.
The clay I dig by myself is such a pleasure to work with. It has this warm feel when I touch it, and it is so lively. All of those little stones at the beginning of their long period of formation or little branches and leaves tell the story of something that is as primordial as our planet Earth and the Universe we live in.
The common name for that type of clay is wild clay, and through my career of working with textile, I got to know the term wild silk. The creator of that term is Mahatma Gandhi, who passionately advocated a world without violence. Not a single being on this planet should suffer, so he applied that also to the lovely silkworms and their cocoons, which unfortunately have to be killed, and it is for this reason that silk cannot be categorized as a cruelty-free fiber.
The Sanskrit word for cruelty-free life is ahimsa.
That is the terminology I have heard many times from various yoga teachers, and it is the first postulate in yoga practice.
There is so much more beauty to discover, the path is pure pleasure, and I feel the (un)perfection of that circle of life and death.
CV
Education
1995 / Graduated from the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Textile Technology (specialization: Textile and Fashion Design)
Membership in professional organizations
- Member of the Croatian Association of Artists of the Applied Arts (ULUPUH) as a costume designer since 2001 and as a ceramic artist since 2018
- Member of the Croatian Association of Independent Artists (HZSU) since 2002
- Member of Michelangelo Foundation since 2020
Ceramics exhibitions
2020 / Participated in the group exhibition “Etheric Narratives”, Gallery Kranjčar, Zagreb
2020 / Participated in the 55th Zagreb Salon, Zagreb
2020 / Participated in the group exhibition “On the Table and Around it”, ULUPUH Gallery, Zagreb
2019 / Participated in the group exhibition “National Heritage: Šibenik Cathedral”, ULUPUH Gallery, Zagreb
2019 / Participated in the international group ceramics exhibition “Water, Fluid of Life, Jezero Hotel, Plitvice Lakes National Park
2018 / Participated in the group exhibition “Mare Modul” (project leader Lidia Boševski), Kaštel, Kraljevica
2018 / Participated in the group exhibition “Mare Modul” (project leader Lidia Boševski), Technical Museum Nikola Tesla, Zagreb
2017 / Participated in the traveling international ceramics exhibition “More Clay Less Plastic”, Modulor Gallery, Zagreb
2016 / participated in the group exhibition “Datoteka tekstura”, Modulor Gallery, Zagreb
Ceramics training
2021 / Clay Processing Workshop, Studio Alluvium (Mitch Iburg i Zoë Powell)
2020 / Handbuilding Workshop, Studio Alluvium (Mitch Iburg i Zoë Powell)
2020 / Ceramics training – “Complete comprehension of glazes” Čarobnjak Ceramics Studio, Croatia
2019 / Workshop on firing ceramics in woodfired kilns, International School of Ceramics La Meridiana, Tuscany, Italy
2019 / “The Secrets of Natural Glazes” workshop (Lou Smedts)
2017 / “Tea Ceramics” workshop (Yu Thing)
2017 / Workshop on firing ceramics in woodfired kilns (Liank Wu), International ceramics center Atelje Janja Gora, Croatia
2016 / “Tatara Porcelain” workshop (Mami Kato)
Ceramics residencies
postponed / residency at the Fule International Ceramic Museum, Fuping, China
postponed / residency at the International Center for Ceramic Art Zhunan Snake Kiln, Taiwan
2020 / residency in ceramics firing in woodfired kilns, Kecskemét Contemporary Art Studios – International Ceramics Studio, Hungary
Ceramics projects
2018 / current – manages the independent exhibition studio and ceramics gallery Pepel, Petretić Square 1, Zagreb
2018 / participated in the award-winning Mare Modul project – underwater ceramic habitats, Kraljevica
Ceramics firing in woodfired kilns exclusively
2020 / Kecskemét Contemporary Art Studios – International Ceramics Studio, Hungary
2019 / International School of Ceramics La Meridiana, Tuscany, Italy
2017 / International ceramics center Atelje Janja Gora, Croatia
Theater
1996 – 2005 / over fifty projects in costume design for theaters, namely the Croatian National Theatre, Marin Držić Theatre, The Zagreb Youth Theater (ZKM), and Shadow Casters
Film and TV
2019 / The Diary of Diana B., film (dir. Dana Budisavljević), costume designer
2016 / Somewhere, film (dir. Katarina Radetić), costume designer
2014 / The Divorce, film (dir. Danny & David Scheinmann), costume designer
2014 / The Chicken, film (dir. Una Gunjak), costume designer
2013 / Game of Thrones, HBO series, assistant costume designer
2012 / Game of Thrones, HBO series, assistant costume designer
2012 / Fuga y mysterio, film (dir. Sara Hribar), costume designer
2011 / Loza, series, costume designer
2010 / Get up Miro!, film (dir. Petar Orešković), costume designer
2009 / Doctor Who, BBC series, assistant costume designer
1996 / Mondo Bobo, film (dir. Goran Rušinović), assistant costume designer
TV commercials
2004 – 2016 / designed costumes for over 100 video commercials
Costume design exhibitions
2019 / Contemporary theatre and film scene in Croatia 2017-2019, Karas Gallery, Zagreb
2015 / Contemporary theatre and film scene in Croatia 2013-2015, Karas Gallery, Zagreb
2013 / Contemporary theatre and film scene in Croatia 2011-2013, Karas Gallery, Zagreb
2009 / Contemporary theatre and film scene in Croatia 2007-2009, ULUPUH Gallery and the foyer of the Croatian National Theater, Zagreb
2009 / 100 years of Croatian set design and costume design (1909.-2009.), Mimara Museum, Zagreb
2007 / Contemporary theatre and film scene in Croatia 2005-2007, ULUPUH Gallery and the foyer of the Croatian National Theatre, Zagreb
2006 / 10th Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space, Prague
2005 / Contemporary theatre and film scene in Croatia 2003-2005, ULUPUH Gallery and the foyer of the Croatian National Theatre, Zagreb
2003 / Contemporary theatre and film scene in Croatia 2001-2003, ULUPUH Gallery and the foyer of the Croatian National Theatre, Zagreb
Awards for costume design
2002 / Award for Best Costume Design for the theater play Norci (dir. Dubravko Torjanac)
2002 / Marul Award for Best Costume Design for the theater play Brother Donkey (dir. Rene Medvešek), 12TH Marulić Days
2001 / Veljko Maračić Award for Best Costume Design for the theater play Brother Donkey (dir. Rene Medvešek) International Small Scene Theatre Festival Rijeka
