Nela Horvat
For more than 35 years, batik has been the central language of my artistic expression.
Working with hot wax on silk, I create large-scale artistic cycles through which I explore architecture, stone, cultural heritage, spiritual spaces and the memory preserved within time and material. My works are created slowly and patiently, layer by layer, through a demanding process of wax, dye and repeated transformation of the surface.
Although rooted in the traditional BATIK technique, my work moves beyond decorative craft into the field of contemporary fine art. Through batik on silk, I seek to unite painting, drawing, structure, rhythm, texture and light into a personal visual language.
One of the most important cycles of my work is “Stories in Stone”, a project developed over more than ten years. Through this cycle, I explored the relationship between stone and silk, architecture and emotion, permanence and fragility. The works from this series were exhibited internationally in Italy, Austria and Russia, receiving several international awards and Grand Prix recognitions.
The cycle was presented in several Italian cities through exhibitions organised by the Italian cultural association Tant’Arte, as well as at international art events in Vienna, Austria, where my collaboration and exhibition activity has continued for many years.
During the opening of one exhibition from this cycle, art historian Dušan Milovanovic described my work with the words:
“The artist united two seemingly incompatible materials — silk and stone. Both are natural, both breathe and radiate warmth.”
This long artistic journey later evolved into the cycle “Ornaments of Hilandar”, inspired by the ornamentation, architecture and spiritual atmosphere of the Hilandar Monastery. Developed over three and a half years, this cycle represents a mature continuation of my exploration of memory, silence, light and sacred space.
Alongside these thematic cycles, I also create abstract works through which I explore freedom of form, colour, rhythm and texture. Abstraction allows me a more intuitive and playful visual expression while remaining deeply connected to the materiality of silk and wax.
For me, batik is not only a technique, but a meditative and deeply personal artistic process through which I explore time, memory, fragility and permanence.
email: nella.batik@gmail.com
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