Sanja Sakic was born on 22nd August 1981 in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. A versatile artist who paints, sculpts, as well as uses mixed media and relief, her work is nevertheless very expressive. Sanja’s practice is preoccupied with sex. In the beginning she was examining the male and female forms, through which she became lured to the realm of sexuality, and the pleasure, the fetish, and the taboo attached to sex.
Sanja Sakic
Sanja’s artistic talent was apparent from an early age – as soon as she could pick up a pen, she was drawing all over the house. Although nurtured by loving parents, she had a somewhat unhappy time at primary school. Being a wilful child, she was never a teacher’s favourite and as a result, teachers picked on her and other children often bullied her. However, rather than being discouraged, it only motivated her to reach for her dream; her fighting spirit was already strong as a child.
War broke out in Bosnia when Sanja turned nine years old, and it changed her life forever. Evacuated along with her sister to an island, for the first time in her life Sanja was away from her parents, who remained in Mostar, and quite helpless. She had to learn how to look after herself.
In the face of hardship, she realised that if she wanted anything in life, she must rely on her own strength and resolve. It was during this lonely and turbulent time that she determined to become a renowned artist. She knew it would be a long and winding road full of difficulties, but the war had shaped her into a fiercely independent young woman, and she had focused her sight on this goal ever since.
When the war ended, Sanja entered secondary school. At the same time she also attended Gabrijel Jurkic – the only specialised art school in the country. She describes it as an amazing part of her life, where she learnt all the skills she needed to become an artist.
Her artistic career really began when the council of her hometown Mostar was hosting an art exhibition in a bid to unite the divided town between Muslims and Catholics. Sanja was about to graduate secondary school at the time; she was the only female artist invited to partake the show, along with six male artists.
Sanja continued her higher education at Siroki Brijeg, one of the only two art universities in the country, where she received a MA in painting. Prior to the degree show, she was awarded the prestigious stamp in art – a distinction recognized by her country. Several professors from her university also competed for the honour but Sanja, a student and a woman, in a country where sexism still thrives, emerged victorious.
She had always thought that she would go to Paris, where her uncle lives, but fate is full of subtle surprises. Sanja fell in love. Upon graduating university she followed her lover to London, leaving behind her fame and success in her own country. It was like jumping into an empty swimming pool head first, she muses, and an eye opener. She was enlightened, almost bewildered, by the liberal culture of London in stark contrast to the reserved attitude of her country. In this foggy city she felt ever more liberated to explore her art.
It was difficult to adjust to the food, the language, and the weather, but Sanja was hardly deterred. She made new friends, broke new ground. In the first year she managed to hold a staggering nine exhibitions.
In 2008 she gave birth to a son. It would be curious to see where this new found motherhood will lead her art. Sanja currently lives and works in London.
