My painting ‘Stay connected’, was exhibited at the 8th Geoje International Art Festival, Haegeumgang Theme Museum, Geoje, South Korea from 01 September to 25 October 2022.
8th GEOJE International Art Festival, South Korea:
Art as a Dialogue with Nature: Take Care of Me!
ART · ECOLOGY · SPIRITUALITY
In a time when the world is becoming a place of overwhelming noise and nature often remains a silent backdrop to human ambition, the exhibition “Take Care of Me!” offers a space of quiet — a space where art restores meaning to vision, attention, and responsibility.
Here, the artworks do not merely speak about the environment, but with it.
They do not admonish — they invite.
In both material and form — whether created from recycled remnants or born from silent inner contemplation — the same thought is present: that the human being is not placed above nature, but among it.
Like a lamp meant to illuminate, not to burn.
The artists gathered in this exhibition come from different parts of the world, yet they are connected by the same thread: the sense that the world around us is not here to be conquered, but to be recognized.
In their works, nature is not a subject — it is a living interlocutor.
This exhibition does not choose one face of art.
It embraces many: aesthetic, spiritual, symbolic, and engaged.
It is not reduced to material, form, or technique. It rests on a feeling — on the trust that art, when rooted in awareness, can be a quiet yet enduring force of connection — an answer to noise, to the rupture between humanity and the world, to the loss of measure and deeper meaning.
That aesthetics can nurture, not dominate.
That the artistic act, when performed with responsibility, becomes a space of inner ecology — care not only for nature, but for the soul.
For, as academician Dr. Enes Karić wrote:
“The earth is not merely the ground beneath our feet; it is part of the celestial breath in which a person recognizes themselves — if they become still and listen.”
That thought forms the invisible backbone of this exhibition — not as ornament, but as a quiet foundation linking the works, the gazes, and the presences within.
“Water teaches us how to flow without losing purity. In every drop resounds the voice of Revelation: that all which lives, lives by grace.”
“Take Care of Me!” is a tremor, a prayer, a reminder.
A reminder that every drop of water is a lesson, every tree a memory, every silence an invitation to return to the Source.
Not to the past — but to what is original within us, to the human being who knows how to see without needing to possess, who knows that “nothing is ours except the moment of awareness.”
Therefore, this exhibition is neither an act of aesthetic resistance nor an illustration of an ecological message.
It is a space — both inner and shared.
A place where responsibility does not impose itself but naturally arises.
It calls us not to act through slogans, but through inner attentiveness —
to return to ourselves, not out of a need for isolation, but for presence.
In such a gaze, art becomes not only an aesthetic expression, but an act of care —
care for what endures, though not immediately visible.
And precisely there, in that attentiveness, preservation begins.
The exhibition Take Care of Me! was held at Gazi Husrev-beg’s Hanikah in Sarajevo, from October 16 to 23, 2025.
The participating artists came from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, India, Japan, the Netherlands, Serbia and Spain.
PARTICIPATING ARTISTS:
ALISA TELETOVIĆ – Bosnia and Herzegovina
ANGELINA VUKOSAV– Bosnia and Herzegovina
DŽEJLANA KARAMAN – PAŠIĆ – BosnIa and Herzegovina
ETEL REIS – Spain
HRVOJE MARKO PERUZOVIĆ – Croatia
HUMERA ALI – India
IRA SKOPLJAK – VITEŠKIĆ– Bosnia and Herzegovina
KRISTINA ĆAVAR– Bosnia and Herzegovina
KRISTINA LAZAREVIĆ –Montenegro/Japan
MARIJA ŠORMAZ – Serbia
MERIMA IVKOVIĆ– Bosna i Hercegovina
NELISA NELA BAŽDAR – Bosnia and Herzegovina
NENA ŠEŠIĆ – FIŠER – Netherlands
REBEKA ABDAGIĆ – Bosnia and Herzegovina
RENATA PAPIŠTA – Bosna i Hercegovina
SALIHA DRINOVAC – Bosnia and Herzegovina
SENAD PEPIĆ – Bosnia and Herzegovina
Artist: Ira Skopljak- Viteškić, Title: Klizište kod Sarajeva/Sarajevo Landslide, dimensions: 60 x 50 cm, 2025.
Artist: Marija Šormaz, Title: Nuclear Explosion – instalation, dimensions: 145 x 150 cm, 2022.
triology; dimensions: 90 x 50 cm, 2020.
Artist: Hrvoje Marko Peruzović, Title: Arbor Vitae, dimensions; 50 x 60 cm, 2019.
International collective exhibition RETURN 🌿
International Festival Sarajevo Winter, Go Green Fetival, stories
SPKD Prosvjeta Sarajevo Gallery, 16. – 30. march 2024., Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
“Returning Man to Nature: An Artistic Journey of Reconnection” presents itself as a living representation of how art can become solid towards sustainability and environmental protection.
The exhibition, located in the colorful surroundings of Sarajevo, is not limited to displaying works of art; it initiates a dialogue between man and his environment, between creator and creature. Young artists, bearers of freshness, innovation and a strong desire for change, become the protagonists of this dialogue, proving that youth can be the spark that ignites the flame of a sustainable future. Their works are more than art; they are calls to action, mirrors in which we see ourselves reflected in our relationship with the environment.
Amela Hadžimejlić– Iza brda ruže cvjetaju, mixed media, 65 x 170 cm, 2024.
Choosing Sarajevo as the place for this interaction symbolizes hope and resilience. The city, a witness to conflict and renewal, emerges as the perfect place to talk about renewal and reconnecting with our deepest roots. It is a reminder that, even in the most difficult circumstances, we can flourish and encourage flourishing.
Ira Skopljak- Viteškić – Razaranje, Acrylic on canvas, 81 x 30 cm, 2023.
The event explores the intersection between art and nature in a way that transcends aesthetics. Each work acts as a catalyst that encourages critical thinking about current environmental challenges. The artists, through their works, invite us to consider our role in preserving the planet and how, through small individual actions, we can contribute to collective change.
Dario Pehar– Izgubljen u antropocenu, Acrylic on canvas, 50 x 60 cm, 2020.
The stories behind each piece are testimonies of the sometimes forgotten connection between man and the environment. These visual and sensory narratives move us, shake us and, above all, inspire us to take a more active and conscious attitude towards environmental challenges. The exhibition becomes a platform for dialogue, not only between artists and viewers, but also with ourselves, leading us to question our actions and their impact on the world.
Željko Koren – Bilo kakvo more, Mixed media on canvas, 60 x 70 cm, 2024.
Marija Miladinović– Neboder, Watercolor, 30 x 21 cm; U oblacima, Watercolor, 30 x 21 cm, 2023.
“Man’s Return to Nature” in Sarajevo is more than just art exhibitions; it is a movement, a call to reflection and action. It is a reminder that art and nature, together, can be agents of change, capable of awakening deep and lasting ecological awareness in us. This exhibition invites all of us, not only to admire the beauty and the message of the presented works, but to transfer this inspiration beyond the walls of the event, turning it into concrete actions that respect our connection with the planet.
Jelena Đokić– Mornari na pauzi, Acrylic on canvas, 25 x 30 cm, 2023.
Dženana Pindžo- Mekić, Guitar, 95 x 38 x 10 cm, 2022.
Finally, this event in Sarajevo reminds us that we are all artists on the Earth’s canvas; every move we make has significance and the power to contribute to the creation of a sustainable future. Synergy between art and nature is not only possible, but necessary for our survival and well-being. Let this artistic journey of reconnection be the beginning of renewed engagement with ourselves and the world around us.
Writen by: Rasim Maslić
Nelisa Nela Baždar– Drvo života?, Mixed media on solar panel, 177 x 105 cm, 2023.
Returning to nature does not imply man’s regression and primitivism, but a return to the SOURCE in order to end state of spiritual stunting.
Rasim Maslić– Povratak prirodi, digital art, 60 x 60 cm, 2024.
Ida Sokoljak– Mjesečina, oil on canvas, 50 x 70 cm, 2023.
Stefan Ančevski– Vrzno 369– mixed media, 40 x 30 cm, 2023.
Participation in the 1st International Triennial of Portrait in Knin- Nelisa Nela Baždar
I am especially pleased to be one of the participants in the 1st international triennial of portraits, which took place in September 2022 in the Knin Museum, which is located in the town of the same name in Knin, in our neighboring country, Croatia. In addition to the fact that the Museum is located in an excellent location, within the walls of the fortress, which offers a wonderful view of the entire region, it can also be an excellent stopover if you choose to spend your summer vacation on one of the beautiful Croatian coasts and bays.
I am especially glad that I was able to send my paintings to the museum, because it is very difficult to send artworks for display from Bosnia and Herzegovina to neighboring countries such as Croatia, Serbia or Montenegro…
Considering the law that has not yet been resolved for our countries regarding the shipment of works of art to our neighboring countries, where it is easier for us to send works for exhibition to China, which is much more geographically distant than to Croatia or Serbia, countries with which we literally border. In the hope that this legal regulation will soon be successfully completed and not to the detriment but to the benefit of artists and the country, I currently have nothing left but to be proud of myself for having this beautiful memory of cooperation with colleagues from Croatia and hope that it will not be the last .
18. International biennial festival of portrait INTERBIFEP
I participated in this year’s 18th International Biennale of Portraits with two drawings; ‘See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil and then you’ll grow’ and ‘Healing’.
The INTERBIFEP festival is held in the Tuzla International Portrait Gallery, Bosnia and Herzegovina, organized by the Tuzla Culture Center.
The selection commission chose 108 participants from 23 countries of the world to present their works. 187 portraits made in the techniques of drawing, graphics, photography and video art were presented. This year’s INTERBIFEP will last from September 17 to November 17, 2022.
Nelisa Baždar - NelArt 