SHE ROSE TO FAME IN GERMANY, THEN RETURNED TO SERBIA: Olga is a painter who paints human faces—check out her exhibition! (PHOTO GALLERY)

The first solo exhibition of paintings by Olga Reljić, which also provides an opportunity to get to know her as a visual artist, was opened by the director of the “Jovan Popović” Gallery, along with the artist, in Opovo on December 20. The exhibition, titled “The Poetry of Faces,” includes 49 portraits created in acrylic on canvas, using graphic techniques, engraving, and linocut.

The portraits of Olga Reljić were created in a pre-Cubist style, featuring colorfully rich, geometrically shaped faces. In addition to the carefully selected palette of tones, the emotional and psychological states of the protagonists can also be interpreted from the titles of the works, which further guide the observer toward the inner world of the depicted figures.

Olga Reljić was born in Belgrade in 1971. She graduated from the Faculty of Applied Arts in Belgrade, specializing in book graphics. She continued her professional development in Germany at the Burg Giebichenstein Kunsthochschule Halle, where she focused on bookbinding and the artistic book.

She lived and worked in Cologne for two decades, engaging in design, illustration, sculpture, ceramics, and educational work. Upon returning to Serbia in 2022, she expanded her artistic expression to include painting and found peace for creative creation with her family in Opovo.

Olga Reljić has been active in the local cultural and artistic scene for many years. She has exhibited in numerous group exhibitions both domestically and internationally, primarily in the field of graphics. She is a member of the Harmonium choir and also leads a creative art workshop for children in Opovo, actively contributing to the cultural life of the local community, as well as conducting creative workshops at the Ethnographic Museum in Belgrade.

To facilitate closer communication with the audience, a small graphic workshop was held after the exhibition opening. Visitors had the opportunity to print a pre-prepared motif using the linocut technique and take their hand-printed piece home as a keepsake.

“I am inspired by people, specifically their faces. I don’t observe them realistically; instead, I look closely to see what colors emerge from their faces—what atmospheres, feelings, or messages they carry. In fact, the question is: when was the last time you truly looked into someone’s face during a conversation and paid attention to what it tells us? My idea is for a person to look deeper into the eyes of their interlocutor and thus understand them better,” explained Olga Reljić about her inspiration for the exhibition.