Vjeran Čengić – Bio

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Vjeran Čengić (b. Zagreb, 1979) is a Croatian visual artist (Mag. Art.) whose multidisciplinary practice spans painting, drawing, graphics, sculpture and art installation. His work in visual arts has been recognized with several awards and recognitions for his work, highlighting his distinctive artistic vision and passion. He is the co-founder and director of STUDIO 3DIVINE, a creative studio based in Zagreb.

Vjeran graduated from the School of Applied Arts and Design in Zagreb (Painting Department) and continued his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, where he earned a degree in Painting. He also pursued postgraduate studies in classical art at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence, Italy. Vjeran currently lives and works in Zagreb, Croatia (EU).

Alongside his fine arts practice, Vjeran has built a distinguished career in film as an art director and concept artist in art department, contributing to numerous acclaimed film projects. He is an active member of the Film Artists’ Association of Croatia (HDFD), the leading organization for film professionals in the country.

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Professional Experience

2009 – present — Co-founder, Director at STUDIO 3DIVINE d.o.o.
2003 – present — Art Direction on Film (IMDB listed)
Currently lives and works in Zagreb.

Education / Academic Background

2002–2003 — Postgraduate study, Accademia di Belle Arti, Florence, Italy (Painting, prof. V.
M. Canale)
2002 — Graduated in Painting, Academy of Fine Arts, University of Zagreb, Croatia
1998–2002 — Painting Studies, Academy of Fine Arts, University of Zagreb
1998 — Graduated from the School of Applied Arts and Design, Zagreb (Painting
Department)

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Solo Exhibitions (selected)

2025 — Cinematographic Series, Bar Botanicar, Zagreb
2018 — Notitia Intuitiva, Galerija Prica / Bunker – Youth Center, Samobor (Prize solo
exhibition, 4th International Triennial of Self-Portraits)
2010 / 2018 — Award-winning Street Art Project, International Festival ‘Cest is
d’Best’, Park Zrinjevac, Zagreb
2006 — Zlati Ajngel Gallery, Varazdin (Paintings); Town Lodge of the National
Museum, Zadar (Spatial installations)
2005 — Cultural Center of Cakovec (Paintings); Croatian Institute of Engineering,
Zagreb (Structural paintings); Gallery of Club INA, Zagreb (Paintings)
2004–2001 — Numerous early exhibitions in Zagreb (Mocvara Gallery, Augusta
Cesarca Library, Novi Zagreb Book-Room, Travno Children’s Nursery)

Selected Group Exhibitions

2018 — 4th International Triennial of Self-Portraits ‘The Concept About Us’, Galerija
Prica, Samobor
2017 — Day of Botanical Art and Illustration, Botanical Garden, Faculty of Science,
University of Zagreb
2013–2016 — International Exhibition of Miniatures (Celje, Zapresic, Sarajevo,
Belgrade, Novi Sad)
2011–2010 — Annual exhibitions of ULS members (Zapresic, Kutina)
2008 — The Mimara Museum, Zagreb (4th Competition Exhibition of Passion
Heritage)
2006 — Gallery Koprivnica (Drava Art Annale); Carlsberg Croatia Contemporary Art
Collection, Koprivnica; Gallery of the City of Krapina (Zagorje Fine Art Salon)
2002 — HT Center, Zagreb
1998 — Izidor Krsnjavi Salon, Zagreb (School of Applied Arts and Design Graduation
Exhibition)

Awards and Distinctions

2018 — First Prize, 4th International Triennial of Self-Portraits ‘The Concept About Us’
2007 — First Prize, INA Competition for Visual Arts Creation
2005/2006 — Special Award for Most Creative Work, Dubrovnik (International Festival of
Nativity and Christmas Customs)
2005 — Second Prize, Tuborg Award, Koprivnica (3rd Drava Art Annale)
2002 — Commendation, Council of the Academy of Fine Arts, Zagreb (4th year)
1998–2002 — National Scholarship for First Place at the Academy of Fine Arts Entrance
Exam, Zagreb
1998 — Commendation, Council of the Academy of Fine Arts, Zagreb (1st year)

Memberships

Member of HDFD (Croatian Freelance Artists’ Association)

Contact

Socials

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Behance
• Threads
• Tumblr

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Artist Statements :

Notitia Intuitiva / 2017

My painting emerges from the layers of my inner reality. It is a diary of feelings and experiences. Through a variety of motifs, I seek the universal: symbols of the source, life, and fertility, as well as introspection and the connection between the real and the imaginary, consciousness and dreams.

I believe that painting is not a finished answer but a space of possibilities. The process is spontaneous and energetic, without corrections or embellishments. I believe authenticity is found in expression, and imperfections are at the essence of art. They make it real, fragile, and relatable. They also bring surprise and revelation. Colour and surface serve as expressions of fidelity to the inner world. Thick layers, raw textures, and unpredictable forms shape the emotional landscape of the painting.

Through my work, I aim to reveal the hidden and the unexpected, the edge of control, and the intuition of revelation. I want to open a space for introspection, reflection, and recognition of the viewer’s own inner images. These are the images that lie beneath the surface of the present moment.

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Cinematographic Series / 2021 – present

The Cinematographic Series marks a new cycle of works, begun at the end of 2021 and still in progress. Through these achromatic paintings, I am developing a unique pictorial system, exploring minimalistic and gentle approaches to raw linen. Technique unfolds in a personal, intimate, and unexpected way, guided by the material. I work in mixed media, combining aerosol, oil, resins, glues, fillers, and other materials that expand the surface’s language and anchor the paint to the porous linen.

The series investigates visually reduced classical still-life motifs and everyday interior projections: a folded drapery, a side-lit canvas, or distant reflections and shadows of plants in jars. By reducing descriptive elements and employing negative space, these motifs shift between abstract minimal forms and recognizable figurative presence.

Light and shadow are not optical phenomena but material inventions. Tactile impasto strokes, dense textures, and layered shapes are applied by hand, with no possibility of repair. Drapery becomes a rhythm of folds, shadows stretch into long silhouettes, and objects dissolve into overexposed fragments. Each painting explores the fragile threshold between figuration and abstraction, as a one-take act, raw and unrepeatable.

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