Sonja Brzak

Sonja Brzak was born in Zagreb and studied at the Ljubljana Arthouse-College of Visual Arts, where she graduated as a painter. Her work centers on the human figure, which she stylizes and transforms across a range from clear representation to abstraction. She works primarily in oil on canvas, using bold colors, particularly red and blue, combined with geometric shapes and sharp edges.

Brzak's approach to the human form varies considerably across her paintings. In some works, figures remain clearly recognizable, with body parts distinguished by color and line. In others, the stylization intensifies, with body lines dissolving into complex grids and the figures becoming progressively less defined. At the furthest point of abstraction, only stylized heads suggest the original subject matter. She also works with automatism and uncontrolled mark-making, applying drips of light or dark color to create swirling compositions.

In addition to her abstract explorations, Brzak paints a series of idealized portraits of young women's faces in close-up, where the heads fill and often extend beyond the canvas boundaries.