Davor Smoljan

Davor Smoljan is an artist whose work explores themes of our individual and collective place in the world, based on mankind’s cultural and sociological heritage and its influence throughout time. Everyday imagery from the streets that seem to go unnoticed to most is what attracts him towards finding and creating a connection with a place, a moment, an object or a person. Through his artworks, he portrays a visual storytelling in which he strives for contextual relevance by painting these faces and these exact moments in a highly realistic manner. Therein, he aims to emphasize the beauty within simplicity of everyday life and its natural, unmasked course of existence within our time.

As an artist, his approach towards his work allows him to explore each and every concept to its fullest potential during which he always aims to combine an initial idea with the process itself. The raw and spontaneous element -both literally and figuratively- of collecting images and memories from the streets often play an intricate part in his creations and within these depictions, his work conveys a message of his fascination with the transience of all things in life. A hyper focus, a zoom-in on the many faces and places and the connection within those very experiences is essentially depicted in his murals and his paintings.

Davor‘s studio and gallery work therefore usually consists of a presentation of artworks consisting of oil paintings on canvas, paintings on raw and authentic materials as well as graphite/pencil drawings on paper. His mural work is created by using paint & brushes.

Davor Smoljan was born in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (1981) and has been living in The Netherlands since 1993, fleeing the turmoil of the country’s war with his parents and his sister. He currently resides here with his wife and daughter and works from his art studio based out of Ede, The Netherlands.