Author: Ana Klikovac
If you are a loyal fan of Balkan Art Scene or you have recently stumbled upon our platform, you might remember the article titled “Ingenious Voices — Montenegro's Visual Artists”. In it we explored a selection of brilliant Montenegrin artists, and now we are going to add a few more! This time, however, our focus shifts towards the wonderful and fierce Montenegrin ladies.
Bojana Bogavac
Bojana Bogavac is a Berane native, Podgorica-based painter. Bogavac has a degree in graphic design, received at the Faculty of fine arts. Some of her exhibitions include: “Sesija 3 Made by Cetinje exhibit ISTORIJA MADE BY ME (2015)” , “DAN D Zagreb (2011)” , “Book ILL Fest Novi Sad (2013), “Montenegro women EXPO event DOTE 2015., Donee Talento Expo (2015). Her style abounds with lines in motion; both vibrant and subdued; people going about their lives, playing music, talking, walking around in a crowd, having a discussion at a meeting or simply taking a quick nap on the couch.
Brigita Antoni
This prolific artist has a background in graphic design, having acquired both her graduate and postgraduate degrees at the Faculty of fine arts in Cetinje. She had frequented artistic residences in Montenegro and abroad. Brigita is currently residing at the Residency unlimited, ‘a non-profit organization that supports contemporary art through its unique residency program and year-round public programs’ in New York City. She had exhibited her work in the form of installations, digital print and foraged materials. It is her tendency to not only create physical objects, but also the environment that surrounds them. Through digital media, painting and video, combined with found objects, the artist explores the relationships between science and global transformations derived from the scientific discoveries particularly in the fields of astronomy and optics. Her research-based projects result in visual forms that function both as virtual and material installations.
Tijana Vujović
Tijana loved drawing from an early age. What was once a mere pastime turn into a noble career- one that keeps growing exponentially as the years go by. Her first artistic steps were taken at Faculty of fine arts in Cetinje where she acquired a degree in painting in 2009. The exploration of the relationship between the human being and nature, internal spaces or the other individual, plays a central role in Tijana’s pieces. Her subjects mingle quietly, enjoying the serene natural beauty that has an almost therapeutic effect on them. Each piece features a calm, soft being, usually with their eyes closed, painted in light, neutral colors. It offers an entrance into an alternate dimension, one that lacks anything harsh or evil.
Ena Ljutić
This Kotor-native artist is among the youngest in this series, yet her talent and skills speak volumes about her maturity as an artist and as an individual. Ena Ljutić is 22-year-old artist currently studying graphic design at Donja Gorica University in Podgorica, where she creates unique artwork and collaborated with her fellow artists. Ena describes her artistic style as modern surrealism with dark themes, mostly in the portraiture form. She draws inspiration from carnal parts of human beings, darker motifs, psyche, music, all of which are usually the synthesis of her work. In the future Ena has plans to continue sharing her work online, organize an animation project with her colleagues and to exhibit her work in galleries in due time.
Rozalija Francesković
Speaking of young, talented artists, we have yet another artistic prodigy who has already made quite the name for herself by the tender age of nineteen. Rozalija had discovered her artistic competence as a child. She attended art classes and exhibited her work, ever since kindergarten, then she carried it all the way through high school. Presently, she is posting her artwork on her Instagram page titled ‘Dose de Rose’, where one can find idyllic illustrations inspired by her life by the Mediterranean Sea. The drawings, which combine the elegance of the quintessential Mediterranean style and rapidographic lines, are products of imagination and love for the art. Her brand “DOSE DE ROSE”, comprising of white V-neck T-shirts with her colorful drawings on them, caught massive attention this summer. Everyone had the chance to take a precious piece of Rozalija’s artwork home.
Irena Vuković
Much like most of our dignified Montenegrin artists, Irena Vuković has also graduated from the Faculty of fine arts in Cetinje where she studied graphic design. She had also acquired a masters degree with her thesis titled “Grafičko oblikovanje edicije ili likovna autonomija knjige” (“Graphic shaping of editions or the artistic autonomy of the book”). Irena had illustrated a number of headlines and editions, some of which had given her awards such as the Annual FLU award in 2002 and the “Dobar dizajn” (“The Good Design”) in 2008. Prevalent in her style are bright colors and whimsical characters; she finds inspiration in the world around her and its current events, which is evident in her latest exhibit “Sažimanja” (“Compressions”) in which she made many references to the 2020 pandemic. Instagram
Ljiljana Kolundžić
Ljiljana Kolundžić is an academic painter whose career spans several decades. Ljiljana had graduated from the Teaching faculty in Nikšić in 1987 where she studied fine arts, then she had gotten a graduate in painting from the Faculty of fine arts in Cetinje in 1993, as well as her master’s in 2007. Her works are exhibited in eminent galleries and private collections. Ljiljana has had 14 independent exhibits and 50 collective exhibits in the country and abroad. For the main subject of her work, Ljiljana has chosen the human being as a secret and a riddle, more specifically, she decided to highlight the brave, bold, self-aware, gifted, imaginative women. All of her intentions are visible in her latest artwork compilation titled “Moderne ikone” (“Contemporary icons”), created in 2019 and 2020 using combined technique and collage.
Marija Radusinović
Marija is a Podgorica-based artist who acquired her degree at the Faculty of fine arts in Cetinje. In her work, one shall encounter human figures and the layered stenographic repertoire through which she connects antiquity, Renaissance, fictional and sacral buildings, urban architecture, contemporary technological advancements, objects containing comedic and satirical subtext, ornamental prints as décor or for figuration purposes. The artist inhabits metaphysical space in which transcendence of time and layered subject are frozen in the transcendental line of existence. She had taken part in a couple of collective exhibits, among which are the ULUCG’s 75th Annual exhibit and the Collective UNUS small frame exhibit organized by KC “Mladost” Gallery. Marija’s most recent achievement was her exhibit of art pieces titled “Maske života” (“Masks of life”) consisting of 59 pieces created by drawing and painting, showcased this summer in Pogorica and Tivat.
