Ivona Pelajić is a Croatian visual artist and designer,  living and working in Sweden and Germany.
In 2010 Pelajić graduated from the Fine Arts Academy in Zagreb (mag. art) and in 2020 she gained her second degree, MFA in Child Culture Design at HDK-Valand, GU, Sweden.
In 2020 she co-founded studio Mono/Mint, together with Fredrik Stjernqvist. The duo works with different co-creating and art tools (from sound to painting to wood) in order to create play installations for children and adults in urban environment.
Since 2022 member of HDLU (Croatian Association of Fine Artists).


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ARTIST STATEMENT

I am a multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans painting, installations, and public art. My work delves into the intersections of memory, perception, and imagination, exploring how visible and invisible worlds overlap and interact. Through painting with acrylics and oils, I create vibrant, symbolic compositions that serve as windows into both personal and universal experiences. Bright colors and strong contrasts reflect my intuitive process, where subconscious thoughts emerge as I blend hues to evoke specific atmospheres.
Memory plays a central role in my art. My paintings often depict surreal, dreamlike landscapes infused with imagined metaphors—such as "underground systems" or "plant auras"—that symbolize the intangible aspects of experience. I am particularly fascinated by the fluidity of perception, as seen in my explorations of how memories and emotional imprints shape our understanding of space and time.
Participation is another key element of my practice. In addition to painting, I create interactive installations, often crafted from natural materials like wood. Since 2020, I have collaborated with Fredrik Stjernqvist under the name Studio Mono/mint, using play and imagination as tools to bridge the visible and invisible dimensions of human interaction. Many of these works are co-created with children or designed for their engagement, emphasizing themes of shared creativity and tactile discovery. These participatory projects often incorporate fragments of my paintings, blending the intuitive and the tangible.
In my recent works created in Berlin in 2024, the motif of roots repeats itself as a metaphor for interconnectedness—between people, memories, and ecosystems. These paintings invite reflection on how unseen connections influence our visible world, encouraging viewers to contemplate the deeper layers of existence and the ways in which the human and natural worlds intertwine.
My art is a journey into the liminal spaces between the conscious and the subconscious, the material and the immaterial. By combining personal narratives with universal themes, I aim to create experiences that invite viewers to explore their own perceptions and connect with the unseen dimensions of life.