Art & Therapy Exhibition in Split: A Blend of Art and Therapy
What happens when art stops being a museum exhibit and becomes a tool for understanding oneself? The art& project was born from the belief that art can be much more than a beautiful object on a wall – it can be therapy, education, a bridge to others, a path to oneself. Each year, art& explores a new dimension of artistic practice through an interdisciplinary approach that connects fine arts with other areas of human experience. For the first year, I chose the theme “art & therapy”, inspired by the groundbreaking book by Alain de Botton and John Armstrong called Art as Therapy, which proposes reorganizing museums and galleries according to emotions rather than historical periods. Instead of galleries dedicated to Renaissance or contemporary art, imagine galleries of hope, memory or growth. Instead of asking when something was created, let’s ask what it can do for us today. art& invites us to discover art as a living, functional tool for better understanding our own psyche and the world around us. "I would like to thank all the sponsors who made this project possible: DLightful Services, Arts and Culture Network and, first and foremost, the City of Split, whose support makes such visions possible," says project author and exhibition curator Dora Derado Giljanović (Dlightful Services).
The art & therapy exhibition at the Studio 21 Gallery in Split addresses this very question. Born from the belief that art can be a bridge to others, but also an introspective tool for understanding one's own emotions, this exhibition explores how visual expressions can provide support, comfort and a path to healing. The artists whose works will be on display are: Joko Bird, Alma Čače, Karin Grenc, Tisja Kiljaković Brenić, Josip Mijić, Marina Otchuda Say Gynt and Dražen Pejković.
Yoko Bird
Joško Buljanović, whose stage name is Joko Bird, was born in Split in 1989. He received his master's degree in graphic design from the Academy of Fine Arts in Sarajevo in 2017, after studying visual communications at the Academy of Arts in Split. During his university education, he developed a special interest in paleography and semiotics, which led him to create his own pictographic style in art. His work in the field of visual communications is characterized by the use of letters, signs, symbols and logos.
Josko Buljanovic
Colombia, Joko Bird, 100x70cm, acrylic on canvas, 2025.
Alma Čače
Alma Božanić Čače, born and raised in Komiža on the island of Vis, finds her artistic expression in her connection with nature, the coast and the sea. She graduated from UMAS in Split in 2001, majoring in visual culture and restoration, after which she dedicated herself to painting and creative work. She draws inspiration from natural motifs, which she explores through photography and recycled materials, such as driftwood, which she uses as a tool, substrate or frame in her work. As an active artist, she has had 24 solo and 21 group exhibitions and leads art workshops for children and adults.
Alma Čače
Metabolism, Alma Čače, 30x60cm, mixed media on canvas, 2024.
Karin Grenc
Karin Grenc was born in Split in 1971. By education and profession she is a graphic designer, by birth and by life commitment she is a painter. In addition to painting, she works in sculpture and graphic design. She is a member of HULU Split and HZSU. She has exhibited at numerous (The Croatian Association of Visual Artists) group exhibitions in Croatia and abroad, and independently about 30 times. Her works are in permanent collections of galleries and in several churches in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. She lives and works in the old town of Split, in Veli Varoš.
Karin Grenc
Relief, Karin Grenc, 40x50cm, mixed media on found wood
Tisja Kljakovic Braic
Academic painter Tisja Kljaković Braić was born on June 30, 1979 in Split. She graduated from the School of Fine Arts, majoring in painting design. In April 2003, she graduated in painting from the Academy of Arts in Split, in the class of Professor Gorki Žuvela. She has exhibited her works at around thirty group exhibitions and around forty solo exhibitions in the country and abroad. Her works are in the holdings of the National Museum of Modern Art in Zagreb, the Gallery of St. Chrysostom in Šibenik, and in numerous private collections throughout Croatia and the world. She is a member of the Croatian Association of Independent Artists and the Croatian Society of Fine Artists.
Tisja Kljakovic Braic
Cloud, Tisja Kljaković Braić, 125x85cm, mixed media, 2018.
Josip Mijic
Josip Mijić was born on April 11, 1975 in Travnik. In 2002, he graduated in painting from the Academy of Fine Arts in Široki Brijeg in the class of Prof. Ante Kajinić, and in 2005, he completed postgraduate studies in Ars sacra under the mentorship of the same professor and earned the title of Master of Arts in Ars Sacra. At the Academy of Fine Arts, University of Mostar, in the academic year 2010/11, he began working on his doctoral dissertation in the field of art, the field of fine arts, the branch of painting, with the topic Dark and material in the visualization of the transcendent in sacred painting under the mentorship of Prof. Ante Kajinić. He received his doctorate in 2017 from the Academy of Fine Arts in Široki Brijeg. So far, he has had 44 solo exhibitions and participated in more than 200 group exhibitions in the country and abroad.
Josip Mijic
QF1, Josip Mijić, mixed media, 8x8x8cm, 2025.
Marina Otchuda Say Gynt
Marina Otchuda Say Gynt is a multidisciplinary artist who has taken her performing arts to four continents. In Croatia alone, she has created as many as 30 premiere works in the categories of contemporary dance, multimedia theater, performance and improvised music concerts. In addition to performing arts, she also works in the visual arts (video, animated film, digital painting, 3D animation).
Marina Otchuda Say Gynt
Mascot Beta v1.0, Marina Otchuda Say Gynt, mixed media: AI art and photography, 2023.
Drazen Pejkovic
Dražen Pejković (1968) is a professional architect and urban planner, living and working in Split. He began his creative research in 1986 during high school, and continued it during his studies of architecture under the mentorship of artists Josip Vaništa and Andrija Krstulović. He graduated from the Faculty of Architecture in Zagreb in 1994, and during his professional career he worked in the Department of Urban Planning of the City of Split and IGH as a project manager. He was elected as a visiting professor at the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Geodesy in Split in 2011. Pejković is a multiple winner of awards in urban planning and architectural competitions, and has participated in a number of group and solo architectural and art exhibitions.
Drazen Pejkovic
The Last Tree, Dražen Pejković, in constant transformation, steel, clay, plaster, thread impregnated with glue, varnish, black pigment, height 200 cm
The exhibition remains open until September 20, 2025.