2nd International Istanbul Biennial Istanbul, Turkey International Biennial Participation in the 2nd International Istanbul Biennial. Presentation of an installation based on ponjave, traditional handwoven textiles. The exhibition marked the first major international presentation of this artistic research and the beginning of a body of work developed over more than thirty years around textile, memory and the transmission of forms.
BIOGRAPHY - CLARA TOMIC BLEIBTREU
ABOUT
Clara Tomić Bleibtreu is a Franco-Croatian visual artist born in Sarajevo.
Educated at the Academy of Fine Arts in Sarajevo, she continued her research in France, where she obtained a PhD in Visual Arts and Art Sciences from Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne.
Her artistic practice is rooted primarily in painting. For several decades, she has developed a body of work centred on painting, textile and memory. Her work takes as its starting point the ponjave, traditional handwoven textiles from the mountainous regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. Rather than presenting them as ethnographic objects, she transforms them into contemporary pictorial surfaces.
Her work explores the persistence of geometric forms, the transmission of motifs and collective memory. The textiles become living archives upon which painting introduces a new layer of meaning without erasing the traces of the past.
From this pictorial research, Clara Tomić Bleibtreu progressively developed installations and later works combining painting with sound-based devices. Her practice subsequently expanded into digital technologies through generative video and NFTs, continuing the same exploration of how forms and memory are transmitted through new media.
Alongside her artistic practice, she has conducted extensive research into the origins of decorative art. Her doctoral thesis was published by L’Harmattan under the title 'La genèse des arts décoratifs Esthétique de la période néolithique en Bosnie-Herségovine'. This research forms the theoretical foundation of her artistic practice.
Since the late 1990s, she has regularly exhibited her work in France, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Turkey and Italy. In 1999, she founded Galerie Clara Bleibtreu in the Paris region, supporting the production and presentation of her work and research.
Today, her practice brings together painting, installation, sound and digital imagery in an ongoing exploration of memory, transmission and the transformation of forms.
EDUCATION
Graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts, Sarajevo, 1979.
Studies in Aesthetics at Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne.
PhD in Visual Arts and Art Sciences, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, 1995.
ARTISTIC PRACTICE
Visual artist working across disciplines, with a practice centred on:
- Painting
- Sound-based works
- Installation
- Video (including emerging technologies explorations such as AI and blockchain)
RESEARCH
Research focused on:
- The earliest forms of decorative art
- The transmission of motifs
- The relationship between collective memory and contemporary creation
TEACHING
Teaching and lectures in visual arts, aesthetics and artistic research.
Lectures and academic activities at Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne.
PUBLICATIONS
The Genesis of Decorative Arts: Aesthetics of the Neolithic Period in Bosnia and Herzegovina
L’Harmattan
Based on her doctoral research.
GALLERY
Founder of Galerie Clara Bleibtreu, La Garenne-Colombes, France.
AWARDS
Medal of the City of Paris — Bronze.
EXHIBITIONS
Contemporary Croatian Art Mairie du 6e arrondissement, Paris, France Group Exhibition Presentation of an installation combining painting and textile. The ponjave are transformed into a contemporary artistic medium. One of the first significant presentations of this work in France.
Kolektivno nesvjesno — The Collective Unconscious Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina Solo Exhibition First major solo exhibition. Development of the theme of collective memory. Critical text by Muhamed Dželilović.
KVADRAT — Formiranje slike putem radija KVADRAT — Creating an Image Through Radio Collegium Artisticum / Mladost Cultural Centre Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina First work combining painting and radio. Beginning of the artist’s exploration of sound-based devices.
Mediteran Makarska, Croatia Solo Exhibition Presentation of a series of paintings created on ponjave. A dialogue between contemporary painting and traditional textile. Traditional motifs are reinterpreted through painting. The exhibition catalogue connects the artistic practice with research into the transmission of forms. Archives, Complete catalogue, Photographs of the works, Exhibition photographs available upon request
Francuska veza — The French Connection Galerija Vladimir Filakovac Zagreb, Croatia Solo Exhibition Presentation of a series of paintings produced in France. A dialogue between the French and Croatian art scenes. Continuation of research into colour, textile and composition. Archives Invitation Photographs Dubrava Cultural Centre archives
Među prostorima — Between Spaces Cellars of Diocletian’s Palace Split, Croatia Solo Exhibition Exploration of the relationship between physical and pictorial space. Textile is approached as an architecture of memory. Development of research into layered surfaces. Archives Invitation Critical text Biography
Perspektive — Perspectives Galerija Cate Dujšin Ribar Trogir, Croatia Solo Exhibition Presentation of a series of recent paintings. The exhibition highlights the continuity of Clara Tomić Bleibtreu’s research into motifs, memory and painting. The works reflect the evolution of her practice while maintaining a connection with her long-standing research based on ponjave.
EVOLUTION OF THE PRACTICE
Painting Research into form and composition
First installations Introduction of textile Introduction of sound and radio
Development of painting on ponjave Memory and transmission
Large-scale textile series Exhibitions in France and Croatia Consolidation of the artistic research
Painting Generative video Digital works NFTs