Gallery 4
FLATTENED
8 - 19 Apr 2026
Opening night
10 April | 6 - 8 pm
Gallery Hours:
Wednesday – Sunday: 10 am – 5 pm
ARTIST STATEMENT
Branka’s practice is grounded in contemporary conceptual sculpture and minimalist object-making, exploring balance, symmetry, and spatial relationships. Her work creates meditative forms that invite viewers to engage thoughtfully with space, material, and perception. She often works intuitively, responding to the unique qualities of the environments she encounters. While her practice can involve site-responsive or site-specific interventions, it is equally realized in the studio, where objects and forms are developed, refined, and brought to their final manifestation.
Landscape has always been a central inspiration for Branka. In the past, she was particularly drawn to abandoned buildings and remnants of human activity across Eastern Europe, as well as the materials embedded in these spaces, such as concrete and glass. These sites and materials fascinated her for their contrasts with the surrounding environment and the latent energy they contained. Through her work, she sought to bring light, life, and presence to these abandoned or overlooked spaces, transforming the ordinary or neglected into contemplative forms.
In recent years, Branka’s focus has shifted to the Australian landscape, whose vastness, openness, and subtle geometry profoundly inform her aesthetic and spatial awareness. She observes the environment carefully and responds in the moment, often introducing objects that interact with the landscape and reflect its qualities. In some cases, she imitates forms she observes and transforms them into new objects, creating abstracted or symbolic interpretations. For example, her work Red Sun—a red rectangle—translates the sharp, intense energy of the Australian sun into a simplified, geometric form. This approach illustrates her interest in capturing the essence of phenomena while exploring the tension between recognition and abstraction.
Materials and process remain central to her practice. Branka experiments with a variety of media, often creating objects from paper and other simple materials, some of which evolve into collages or sculptural arrangements. Photography is occasionally used to document and extend the understanding of her installations, particularly in site-responsive works, though it is not her primary medium. Her creative process is deliberate and layered. Ideas emerge, accumulate, and evolve before reaching their final form in the studio. This reflects her belief that creation is not instantaneous but develops through observation, reflection, and experimentation. By allowing concepts to mature, she balances spontaneity with contemplation, ensuring that each work resonates both conceptually and visually.
Through her practice, Branka creates works that mediate between human intervention and natural or built environments. Her sculptures and installations engage viewers in quiet, contemplative dialogues, exploring materiality, perception, and the interplay of space and form. By transforming familiar landscapes and objects, she invites audiences to reconsider their surroundings and the subtle connections between human presence and the world around them.
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Branka was born in Kotor, Montenegro, and lived and studied in the Czech Republic before moving to Australia. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture, as well as a Master of Teaching. She is a member of the Association of Artists of Montenegro and the Association of Sculptors Victoria, and currently works as a primary art teacher in Melbourne.
She has participated in several solo and group exhibitions across Europe, including her Master’s degree exhibition in Brno, Czech Republic, a collective exhibition in Prague, a collective exhibition in Berlin, Germany, and solo exhibitions in Podgorica, Montenegro, and Brno, Czech Republic. This exhibition marks her first professional presentation in Australia.
Branka’s work is grounded in contemporary conceptual art and minimalist sculpture. Her artistic practice explores balance, symmetry, and spatial relationships, often engaging with the environment and responding intuitively to space. She experiments with forms, materials, and objects, and sometimes uses photography to document her installations, though it is not her primary medium.
Her creative approach has been shaped by a combination of formal education, her experiences living across different cultures and countries, and her personal exploration of space, form, and ideas. Branka continues to develop her practice with a focus on thoughtful, meditative, and conceptually-driven work.
