Gabrijela Kozarić Budiša

Bio

I was born in 1969 in Zagreb, where I continue to live and work. I am an artist with over 25 years of experience in contemporary jewelry design, with a particular focus on conceptual form, symbolic language, and spatial relationships between body and object. I am a member of ULUPUH – the Croatian Association of Fine Artists of Applied Arts, Metal and Jewelry Design Section.

Since 1999, my practice has been entirely dedicated to authorial creation – the design of collections and the artistic photography of jewelry. My work has been shaped through various formal and informal studies in Zagreb-Croatia and Moscow-Russia. I completed the professional school for metal design at CEKAO Zagreb (officially recorded in my work history), and continued my development through private ateliers and long-term mentorships with scenographers, architects, and designers in both Zagreb and Moscow.
 

Statement

I see jewelry as a visual language and an intimate architectural object that enters into relationship with the body. Each piece evolves through phases of writing, sketching, modeling, and spatial testing. My collections begin with conceptual research and end with photographic interpretation – photography is not just documentation, it is part of the expressive whole.

In my process, I merge architectural clarity with emotional symbolism, drawing inspiration from female strength, Russian avant-garde, Bauhaus, Zaha Hadid, and personal heritage. My pieces are often developed as proto-objects – forms that carry internal meaning and presence.

The body wears memory. This sentence defines my artistic philosophy. Jewelry is not decoration. It is trace, story, imprint.


Independent Artistic Practice
Since 1999, I have worked independently, developing original collections and exhibiting in juried exhibitions across Croatia and internationally. My collections include poetic texts, interactive elements, and photographic narratives. Each piece is a wearable sculpture and contemplative object, developed through drawing, writing, and proto-modeling. All pieces are handcrafted in my own studio using traditional techniques with modern approach to form and meaning.

My current work explores the theme of childhood, combining tactile memory with symbolic structure and poetic narrative – continuing a dialogue between presence, memory, form and inherited identity.
 
Photography
Photography is an inseparable part of my work. I photograph all my pieces and develop a visual language where atmosphere, narrative, and composition are as central as material and form. On my Instagram profile @photoartgaby, I share product and art photography. For me, photography is not a secondary tool – it is a second voice, emerging from the same source.
 

CV