Short Biography
Iva Japec was born in 1999 in Zagreb. She completed her high school education in 2019 at the Sculpture Department of the School of Applied Arts and Design. In the same year, she enrolled in the Academy of Fine Arts (ALU) in Zagreb, where she graduated in 2025 under the mentorship of doc. art. Nikola Vrljić.
To date, she has participated in over thirty group exhibitions and held six solo exhibitions. She has been actively involved in artistic projects, workshops, and residencies, including the creation of a monument for emigrants in Imotski (2024) and participation in the sculpture residency “Meštrovićevi dani” (Šibenik, 2023). She is a two-time recipient of the “Rector’s Award” (2019/2020 and 2024/2025) for team-based scientific and artistic work and is a member of HDLU.
Currently, she works as the director of sculpture workshops for children and adults at the Center for Art Education of the City of Zagreb and at 4SOBE – a creative laboratory for children and youth.
Education
Sculpture (Master’s Program)
Graduated under the mentorship of doc. art. Nikola Vrljić
2014 – 2019 | School of Applied Arts and Design, Zagreb
Sculpture
2006 – 2014 | Bogumil Toni Elementary School, Samobor
Solo Exhibitions
2025. | Páthos – What Sleeps on the Floor?, Galerija Šira, Zagreb
2023. | The Beauty of Creation, Galerija Štekl, Gornji Grad, Slovenia
2023. | Exhibition of Drawings and Sculptures, City Library of Zagreb, Dubec
2023. | Genesis, Art Room – Youth Center Samobor
2022. | Geneza, Centar Medgen Borza, Rečica ob Savinji, Slovenija
Group Exhibitions and Participation (Selection)
2025.
Group Jury Exhibition Grisia, Rovinj
Group Exhibition Sources of Youth, City Museum Đurđevac
Group Exhibition Perspective, Graduation Exhibitions of ALU Students (also 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020)
Works presented at the Natural History Museum in Zagreb during the charity dinner with art auction of the “Mama, uspio sam” Association, 2025
2024.
Participation in the sales exhibition Pay and Take, HDLU, Zagreb, December
Participation in the 6th International Self-Portrait Triennial (Self-Portrait as an Intimate Time Machine), Galerija Prica, Samobor
Group Exhibition Are You a Serious Gallery?, part of the They Are Coming… program, Galerija SC, Zagreb
Group Exhibition Colors Within Us, Nikola Tesla Technical Museum, Zagreb
Group exhibition of sculptures and drawings as part of the Meštrovićevi dani event (Šibenik City Museum and Drniš City Museum)
Group Exhibition Páthos – What Sleeps on the Floor?, Galerija Openlab FLU, Belgrade
2023.
Group Exhibition of sculptures created during the Meštrovićevi dani residency at Barone Fortress, Šibenik
Group Jury Exhibition Bitter Image (inspired by Marija Jurić Zagorka), Artoratorij Association, Vrbovec
Previous Years (Selection)
2022. | Group Exhibition of the Sculpture Workshop Tvornica Zemlja, Meraja Photography Gallery, Vinkovci
2019. | Group Exhibition of Graduation Works, ŠPUD, Salon Izidor Kršnjavi, Zagreb
2018. | Group Exhibition New Future, Zagreb Design Week, Nikola Tesla Technical Museum
2017. | Group Exhibition of ŠPUD Students’ Works as part of the Richter 100 Exhibition, MSU Zagreb
Projects, Workshops, and Residencies
2024/2025. | Recipient of the Rector’s Award (major team scientific and artistic work) for the opera project Hippolytus and Aricia (creation of props and set design)
Participation in the charity event Ice PurgaRaj with the creation of an ice sculpture under the patronage of Rotary Club Varaždin 1181 as part of the Advent in Varaždin, 2025
2024. | Participation in the creation of a monument for emigrants, Imotski
2023/2024. | Meštrovićevi dani, event (exhibitions, residency, workshops)
2022. | Editor of the Visual Arts section for the ALU Zagreb student magazine Skica
2019/2020. | Recipient of the Rector’s Award (major team scientific and artistic work) for the opera project Cinderella (costume creation)
Workshops and Residencies
2024. | Director of the sculpture workshop at the 64th International Children’s Festival, Šibenik
2024. | Director of sculpture workshop for children at Galerija Klovićevi Dvori (on the occasion of Ivan Meštrović’s exhibition)
2023. | Sculpture residency as part of Meštrovićevi dani at St. Ivan Fortress, Šibenik
2021. | Sculpture workshop Zemlja, Vinkovci
2019 & 2020. | Workshop at the Stone Carving School, Pučišća, Brač
