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Portfolio
In my work, I explore urban spaces, analysing them through the perspective of a pedestrian who repeatedly revisits and investigates a location through a variety of architectural features, geometric structures, or ornaments. I assemble individual, condensed details with repeating geometric elements into spatially cohesive panoramic or landscape compositions. At the same time, I experiment with creating spaces where multiple perspectives and viewpoints are combined and fractured within a single scene. My precise, almost architectural cityscape drawings are fused with color surfaces and spatial lines, presenting familiar urban scenes with new highlights, anomalies, and mirrored images.
Each of my works begins with a detailed drawing, which I then develop using classical intaglio printmaking techniques, such as etching and aquatint, or their combination, as well as screen printing in recent years. I also create sewn drawings, using black thread to explore the diverse qualities it offers.
Screen prints of MGLC
Introducing my project in collaboration with MGLC Ljubljana (International Center of Graphic Arts Ljubljana). A series of three screen prints commissioned by the International Center of Graphic Arts Ljubljana showcasing their buildings and the beautiful surrounding Tivoli park. This project highlights the unique and picturesque location of MGLC, capturing the essence of the center and its surroundings.
Drawings of Maribor
“In her latest Maribor drawings, artist Natalija Juhart Brglez no longer merely positions the observer at different vantage points, where in her previous works she offered a recollective image from one of the variations of her own experience. Through the City Park, she invites the viewer into her own drawn vision, immersed in the tranquility of mint green, as if on a walk that they continue together Around the Water Tower. The path they take follows an elegant fluidity reminiscent of an Art Nouveau line, enhancing decorativeness, but above all bringing more dynamism and active joyful presence to the works. Moreover, following Natalija’s creative journey reveals how her works increasingly ascend, the planes grow steeper, and the whole takes on a slight hint of an iconographic perspective. In this assured movement and momentum, we can recognize traces of the artist's gradual yet profound inner liberation, as she increasingly trusts herself to reveal the depths of her intimate perceptions of reality.”
Text by curator Kristina Prah from the exhibition catalogue “Neither Here. Nor There.”
Text by curator Kristina Prah from the exhibition catalogue “Neither Here. Nor There.”
Etchings of Paris
"Natalija added Paris in her most recent works and has grasped the Parisian ambience with a view that encompasses several of its most recognisable elements that have also imprinted into the artist’s memory. As she was rising above it, she connected it into a newly articulated inlaid entity from the perspective of her imagination with idiosyncratic intuition. The support scaffold of such a "panoramic” image rests on the rhythmically segmented plastic base of the bridge, dominated by the
backdrop of the Notre-Dame cathedral, to which the artist has built a top to one of the unfinished
towers in her imagination, and from where straight and circular lines tighten, embracing the
squares and their buildings, modified into geometric forms. Discernible somewhere on the
edge is a miniature Eiffel Tower, and beneath it, in the corner of a bistro, Picasso’s harlequin gazing
toward the cathedral, and then again elsewhere, coming to life, Manet’s Olympia, who has
retreated from a gallery, shamelessly reclining in front of a bistro as its only visitor.
Reminiscent views of the city with street lamps and a windmill meet in the painter’s eyes with her self-evident perceptions of Parisian life tied to the history of art there; which is why they are not conceived as a tourist map, but embrace the city only through the memory of the artist’s heart, sometimes imprinted in different colours on the same prints, as if the artist wanted to harness only its beauty and charming reminiscence of the emotional colouration of the experiences there into her every personal view. Here, too, the relationship towards architecture dominates in her view, which presupposes a
pronounced sense of architectural segmentation, encompassing a geometrically crystallised
living space."
Text by Milček Komelj for the exhibition catalogue "Original Printmaking"
backdrop of the Notre-Dame cathedral, to which the artist has built a top to one of the unfinished
towers in her imagination, and from where straight and circular lines tighten, embracing the
squares and their buildings, modified into geometric forms. Discernible somewhere on the
edge is a miniature Eiffel Tower, and beneath it, in the corner of a bistro, Picasso’s harlequin gazing
toward the cathedral, and then again elsewhere, coming to life, Manet’s Olympia, who has
retreated from a gallery, shamelessly reclining in front of a bistro as its only visitor.
Reminiscent views of the city with street lamps and a windmill meet in the painter’s eyes with her self-evident perceptions of Parisian life tied to the history of art there; which is why they are not conceived as a tourist map, but embrace the city only through the memory of the artist’s heart, sometimes imprinted in different colours on the same prints, as if the artist wanted to harness only its beauty and charming reminiscence of the emotional colouration of the experiences there into her every personal view. Here, too, the relationship towards architecture dominates in her view, which presupposes a
pronounced sense of architectural segmentation, encompassing a geometrically crystallised
living space."
Text by Milček Komelj for the exhibition catalogue "Original Printmaking"
Screenprints of Maribor
"The series of silkscreen prints depicting Maribor's squares, created in the Print Studio of the International Centre of Graphic Arts, is based on the formal characteristics of the silkscreen technique, which enables printing even surfaces in the form of straight lines and colour planes of varying sizes. In these prints as well, these can be seen in contrast with the more relaxed lines of the drawn trees and figures of the monuments.
The motifs are largely made using black and blue colour surfaces, which emphasize the visual characteristics of variegated views onto the squares of the city by the Drava River."
Text by curator Božidar Zrinski from the exhibition catalogue “Everyday Lines”.
The motifs are largely made using black and blue colour surfaces, which emphasize the visual characteristics of variegated views onto the squares of the city by the Drava River."
Text by curator Božidar Zrinski from the exhibition catalogue “Everyday Lines”.
Etchings of Home
"Natalija added Paris in her most recent works and has grasped the Parisian ambience with a view that encompasses several of its most recognisable elements that have also imprinted into the painter’s memory. As she was rising above it, she connected it into a newly articulated inlaid entity from the perspective of her imagination with idiosyncratic intuition. The support scaffold of such a “panoramic” image rests on the rhythmically segmented plastic base of the bridge, dominated by the
backdrop of the Notre-Dame cathedral, to which the artist has built a top to one of the unfinished
towers in her imagination, and from where straight and circular lines tighten, embracing the
squares and their buildings, modified into geometric forms. Discernible somewhere on the edge is a miniature Eiffel Tower, and beneath it, in the corner of a bistro, Picasso’s harlequin gazing toward the cathedral, and then again elsewhere, coming to life, Manet’s Olympia, who has retreated from a gallery, shamelessly reclining in front of a bistro as its only visitor. Reminiscent views of the city with street lamps and a windmill meet in the painter’s eyes with her self-evident perceptions of Parisian life tied to the history of art there; which is why they are not conceived as a tourist map, but embrace the city only through the memory of the artist’s heart, sometimes imprinted in different colours on the same prints, as if the artist wanted to harness only its beauty and charming reminiscence of the emotional colouration of the experiences there into her every personal view. Here, too, the relationship towards architecture dominates in her view, which presupposes a pronounced sense of architectural segmentation, encompassing a geometrically crystallised living space.
backdrop of the Notre-Dame cathedral, to which the artist has built a top to one of the unfinished
towers in her imagination, and from where straight and circular lines tighten, embracing the
squares and their buildings, modified into geometric forms. Discernible somewhere on the edge is a miniature Eiffel Tower, and beneath it, in the corner of a bistro, Picasso’s harlequin gazing toward the cathedral, and then again elsewhere, coming to life, Manet’s Olympia, who has retreated from a gallery, shamelessly reclining in front of a bistro as its only visitor. Reminiscent views of the city with street lamps and a windmill meet in the painter’s eyes with her self-evident perceptions of Parisian life tied to the history of art there; which is why they are not conceived as a tourist map, but embrace the city only through the memory of the artist’s heart, sometimes imprinted in different colours on the same prints, as if the artist wanted to harness only its beauty and charming reminiscence of the emotional colouration of the experiences there into her every personal view. Here, too, the relationship towards architecture dominates in her view, which presupposes a pronounced sense of architectural segmentation, encompassing a geometrically crystallised living space.
Etchings of Venice
"The artist experienced Venice as the fairy-tale enactment of her dreams, removed into a world of loneliness, shrouded in lace with closed squares and concealed gardens; but she also included the gallery resence of contemporary art from the Peggy Guggenheim Collection there, as well as the equestrian statue of Marino Marini, and even the outline of the famous late art dealer, thus confronting antiquity and historical contemporaneity; but more than that, she graphically impressed the sound of silence into all of this. She has reduced the portioned luxury of the ornate façades into geometric austerity and has aesthetically glorified the empty squares and gardens as scenes of her longing, which are most often lived out in metaphysically festive cities and lulls, where the pointed bell towers force their way skywards and the portals of churches open up into eternity."
Text by Milček Komelj for the exhibition catalogue "Original Printmaking"
Text by Milček Komelj for the exhibition catalogue "Original Printmaking"
Etchings of Ljubljana
"The series of her three latest etchings, which are on display for the first time in MGLC Ljubljana, focuses on Ljubljana and some of its central, recognizable cultural and architectural symbols. The view of Plečnik's Market consists of different perspectives, with which the author accentuates the schematic nature of architectural lines in the space, combining them with the softness of the lined background and the wind-stirred surface of the Ljubljanica River. This kind of formal approach is all the more evident in the print entitled Among the Skyscrapers, in which the emphasized multitude of vertical lines delineating and illustrating Ljubljana's tall buildings envelops a hand-drawn, almost doodled, massive tree with a wide and spreading crown.
All three prints are imbued with a contrast between a flat, architecturally accurate perspective drawing and hand-drawn details, which reinforce the formal visual approach also in terms of content, adding to the prints a touch of life, the beauty of natural forms, and a sense of chaos."
Text by curator Božidar Zrinski from the exhibition catalogue “Everyday Lines”.
All three prints are imbued with a contrast between a flat, architecturally accurate perspective drawing and hand-drawn details, which reinforce the formal visual approach also in terms of content, adding to the prints a touch of life, the beauty of natural forms, and a sense of chaos."
Text by curator Božidar Zrinski from the exhibition catalogue “Everyday Lines”.
Box Made in Maribor
Introducing the "Made in Maribor Box," a part of an art project by Umetnostna galerija Maribor where approximately 50 Maribor artists were invited to creatively engage with a given box. The concept behind the project was to provide artists with the same starting point and see how each individual redefines it through their personal artistic expression. This project served as a platform for local artists to showcase their unique talents and perspectives.
Stitched drawings of Five Homes
"In my stitched drawings, I explore my own existence, perceived through a fragmented living space. I reveal the environment that directly surrounds and simultaneously defines me. I analyse my home, dispersed across five locations, as both an impression given by space with the presence or absence of a figure, and as a space filled with numerous details, which I interpret through precise drawing. I never include a figure; instead, I play only with architectural elements, objects, and vegetation, which help define each specific space. The stitching traces are simply connected with the paths I travelled weekly. This turns out to be a rather specific form of migration, especially since my living space is somewhat unusual. It’s divided across five different locations, each of which I equally perceive as my home. This sounds completely absurd, as home, according to the definition in the Dictionary of the Slovenian Literary Language (2005), is a space or house where one permanently lives or originates from. This doesn’t apply to me.
My home first split in early childhood, with my parents' divorce and their decision for joint custody. Thus, the first home, located on Pohorje in Kebelj, was joined by a second in Slovenska Bistrica, where I live with my mother. The third stems from the many holidays spent at my grandmother's home in Kamnica. The fourth connects to my partner's home in Maribor, and the fifth is a result of studying in Ljubljana. I gradually became aware that issues like my parents’ separation, ties with grandparents, a romantic relationship, and career decisions weighed on me to such an extent that fragments of answers unconsciously surfaced in the decisions and actions I made daily. I realized that the only suitable content for my master's thesis could be an exploration of my own existence, perceived through a fragmented living space. I express each proposed resolution in a drawing, which I collect in a sketchbook. A drawing on paper represents the foundation, which I then adapt and stitch onto fabric (unprimed canvas, not stretched on a frame). I bring the mental restitution of a split home to wholeness, both metaphorically and literally, using needle and thread."
This text is from my master’s thesis titled “5 Homes – Stitched Drawing”.
My home first split in early childhood, with my parents' divorce and their decision for joint custody. Thus, the first home, located on Pohorje in Kebelj, was joined by a second in Slovenska Bistrica, where I live with my mother. The third stems from the many holidays spent at my grandmother's home in Kamnica. The fourth connects to my partner's home in Maribor, and the fifth is a result of studying in Ljubljana. I gradually became aware that issues like my parents’ separation, ties with grandparents, a romantic relationship, and career decisions weighed on me to such an extent that fragments of answers unconsciously surfaced in the decisions and actions I made daily. I realized that the only suitable content for my master's thesis could be an exploration of my own existence, perceived through a fragmented living space. I express each proposed resolution in a drawing, which I collect in a sketchbook. A drawing on paper represents the foundation, which I then adapt and stitch onto fabric (unprimed canvas, not stretched on a frame). I bring the mental restitution of a split home to wholeness, both metaphorically and literally, using needle and thread."
This text is from my master’s thesis titled “5 Homes – Stitched Drawing”.
Vetuta of Maribor
“The Veduta of Maribor is sewn as a horizontally positioned image of the city along the Drava River onto several meters of fabric, where, naturally, not everything aligns with reality. The work reflects a reimagined view of space, which must be understood primarily conceptually, within the context of exploration. The fractured perspective the artist employs in her works requires the viewer to skilfully seek out visual structures, as individual buildings or even some smaller details are deliberately placed in seemingly irregular positions. The dynamics of such an understanding of (cubist) space thus allow artistic correctness in its apparent mistakes.”
Text by curator Petra Čeh from the exhibition catalogue “Another Perspective”.
Text by curator Petra Čeh from the exhibition catalogue “Another Perspective”.
Drawings of Ljubljana
"The series of four drawings focuses on Ljubljana and some of its central, recognizable cultural and architectural symbols. The view of Plečnik's Market consists of different perspectives, with which the author accentuates the schematic nature of architectural lines in the space, combining them with the softness of the lined background and the wind-stirred surface of the Ljubljanica River. This kind of formal approach is all the more evident in the drawing entitled Among the Skyscrapers, in which the emphasized multitude of vertical lines delineating and illustrating Ljubljana's tall buildings envelops a hand-drawn, almost doodled, massive tree with a wide and spreading crown.
All four drawings are imbued with a contrast between a flat, architecturally accurate perspective drawing and hand-drawn details, which reinforce the formal visual approach also in terms of content, adding to the drawing a touch of life, the beauty of natural forms, and a sense of chaos."
Text by curator Božidar Zrinski from the exhibition catalogue “Everyday Lines”.
All four drawings are imbued with a contrast between a flat, architecturally accurate perspective drawing and hand-drawn details, which reinforce the formal visual approach also in terms of content, adding to the drawing a touch of life, the beauty of natural forms, and a sense of chaos."
Text by curator Božidar Zrinski from the exhibition catalogue “Everyday Lines”.
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