What happens when art stops being a museum exhibit and becomes a tool for self-understanding? 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 art with other areas of human experience. For the first year, I chose the theme "art & therapy", inspired by the revolutionary book by Alain de Botton and John Armstrong titled Art as Therapy, which proposes that museums and galleries be reorganized according to emotions instead of 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 the project author and exhibition curator Dora Derado Giljanović (Dlightful Services).
The exhibition art & therapy at Studio 21 Gallery in Split directly addresses this question. Born from the conviction that art can be a bridge to others, as well as 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 exhibited are: Joko Bird, Alma Čače, Karin Grenc, Tisja Kljaković Braić, Josip Mijić, Marina Otchuda Say Gynt and Dražen Pejković.
Joko Bird
Joško Buljanović, known by his artistic name Joko Bird, was born in Split in 1989. He obtained his master's degree in graphic design at 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.
Joško Buljanović
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 in 2001 from UMAS in Split, majoring in art education 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, base, or frame in her creations. As an active artist, she has had 24 solo and 21 group exhibitions and leads art workshops for children and adults.
Alma Čače
Metabolizam, 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 life's calling, a painter. In addition to painting, she works in sculpture and graphic design. She is a member of HULU Split (The Croatian Association of Visual Artists) and HZSU. She has exhibited in numerous group exhibitions in Croatia and abroad, and has had about 30 solo exhibitions. Her works are part of permanent collections in galleries and in several churches in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. She lives and works in her ancestral home in Split, in Veli Varoš.
Karin Grenc
Relief, Karin Grenc, 40x50cm, mixed media on found wood
Tisja Kljaković Braić
Academic painter Tisja Kljaković Braić was born on June 30, 1979, in Split. She completed the School of Fine Arts, specializing 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 in about thirty group exhibitions and forty solo exhibitions in Croatia and abroad. Her works are in the collection of the National Museum of Modern Art in Zagreb, the Gallery of St. Krševan 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 Association of Fine Artists.
Tisja Kljaković Braić
Cloud, Tisja Kljaković Braić, 125x85cm, mixed media, 2018.
Josip Mijić
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, earning the title of Master of Ars Sacra. At the Academy of Fine Arts of the University of Mostar, from the academic year 2010/11, he began work on his doctoral dissertation in art, in the field of fine arts, 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. To date, he has had 44 solo exhibitions and participated in more than 200 group exhibitions in Croatia and abroad.
Josip Mijić
QF1, Josip Mijić, mixed media, 8x8x8cm, 2025.
Marina Otchuda Say Gynt
Marina Otchuda Say Gynt is a multidisciplinary artist who has taken her performance art across 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 engages in 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.
Dražen Pejković
Dražen Pejković (1968) is a professional architect and urban planner, living and working in Split. He began his creative explorations in 1986 during high school and continued them during his architecture studies 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 urban planning department of the City of Split and IGH as a project manager. In 2011, he was appointed visiting lecturer at the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Architecture, and Geodesy in Split. Pejković has won multiple awards in urban and architectural competitions and has participated in numerous group and solo architectural and art exhibitions.
Dražen Pejković
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.