ENSŌ — Solo Exhibition by Nataša Perković at the National Gallery of Bosnia and Herzegovina

May 8 – May 29, 2025

Opening: May 8, 2025 at 7:30 PM

The National Gallery of Bosnia and Herzegovina is proud to present ENSŌ, the first solo exhibition by designer Nataša Perković. The exhibition opening will take place on May 8, 2025 at 7:30 PM at the National Gallery of BiH.

The exhibition features three furniture collections – Elle, Air, and Zen – all produced by the local company GoEs. The exhibition title, ENSŌ, semantically summarizes key aspects of the designer’s artistic expression. In Zen philosophy, ensō denotes a hand-drawn circle created with a single stroke. Symbolizing enlightenment, elegance, and strength, this circle emerges when the liberated mind allows the body to create freely. Observing the furniture pieces from Perković’s studio, one might assume they were similarly formed in one stroke through the bending of wood—their visual minimalism, devoid of carvings or embellishments, presents beauty as sophisticated aesthetics.

The exhibition is accompanied by a rich public program. The ENSŌ Round Table, where local and international experts will discuss the future of design and the furniture industry in Bosnia and Herzegovina, will take place on May 21, 2025 at the National Gallery of BiH and the Foreign Trade Chamber of BiH. The ENSŌ Workshop, offering young designers and students an opportunity to learn and actively contribute to shaping the design landscape, will begin with introductory lectures on May 22, 2025 at the Academy of Fine Arts Sarajevo, followed by hands-on exercises at the National Gallery of BiH on May 23, 2025.

The exhibition will remain open until May 29, 2025, and can be visited during regular working hours.

About the author:

Nataša Perković (b. 1984 in Sarajevo) is a product designer from Sarajevo. She earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Product Design from the Academy of Fine Arts in Sarajevo. Academic Professor Emeritus Zlatko Ugljen and Professor Emerita Ognjenka Finci selected her as an assistant in Unique Design, where she continues her work as an associate professor.

She took her first professional steps at The Partners agency in London and the foundation Cittadellarte – Fondazione Pistoletto in Italy. She collaborated with the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, Royal College of Art in London. Perković further honed her expertise at Kyoto Design Lab in Kyoto upon invitation from Professor Julia Cassim.

Studio Nataša Perković collaborates with manufacturers from Bosnia and Herzegovina and the wider region. Her work has been exhibited at numerous international exhibitions and fairs. Her products have received multiple awards.

She strives to develop products of high aesthetic value, implementing them in an innovative and sustainable manner, fostering restrained visual expression independent of fleeting trends, in hopes that people will enjoy her products for many years.

Project partners: National Gallery of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Academy of Fine Arts Sarajevo, University of Sarajevo, Manifesto Gallery of Contemporary Art, GoEs, Foreign Trade Chamber of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Embassy of Sweden in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Swedish Institute, Days of Architecture.

Support: Feminist Antimilitarist Collective, Foton.