about the artist.

painter, muralist, designer.

“When the soul opens itself up to the artistic realm, inside it grows a kaleidoscope of endless wonder and possibility, beautifying man’s former myopic ways of being.”
— Tatjana Laban Kilibarda

Portrait of Tatjana Kilibarda seated with her chin resting on her hand.

Beginnings

Tatjana Kilibarda is a multidisciplinary artist whose decades-long and immensly abundant career covers painting, muralism, and fashion. During her youth and adolescence, Tatjana grew up in a home where renowned Yugoslavian poets, painters, and philosophers regularly gathered. It was her father, painter Savo Laban, who conducted those gatherings and first introduced her to the visual language of art. Having been surrounded by Serbia’s best painters on a daily basis, Tatjana was able to absorb the technical aspects of art very early in life. Her mother, on the other hand, was the one who taught her how to feel and be in tune with her emotional, intuitive nature. It is unsurprising, therefore, why Tatjana eventually matured into an artist who is best known today for combining stellar technique with deep spiritual ideas, philosophy, and the feminine archetype.

A painted queen playing card showing two women wrapped in gold fabric. — Kilibarda, “Queen of Hearts and Queen of Diamonds” (from the “Matter of Choice” series), 1999

Tatjana Kilibarda’s colorful painting of a lively Montmartre street. — Kilibarda, “Monmartr”, 1981

Paris: Academia & Young Adulthood

After completing high school in Yugoslavia, Tatjana moved to Paris to continue her education in 1969, where she lived with world-famous surrealist Ljuba Popović and architect Nataša Popović, who were close friends of her father. Living with them was a blessing. Every Sunday, Ljuba would take her to the Louvre Museum and taught her how the world’s all-time greatest artists interact with composition, lighting, mixing colors etc. This time marks the most important period of Tatjana’s professional development, both as painter and designer.

During this period, Tatjana simultaneously studied French language and literature at the Sorbonne and received additional diplomas in fashion design from the prestigious schools of Fleuri Delaporte and Vauclair Darroux.

From Fashion to Fine Art

Kilibarda’s earliest big success took place in the world of fashion design. In 1975, she placed second in Levi Strauss’s own national design competition in France. Soon after, she also received the Consumer Jury Award for her fashion collection at the Fall Fashion Fair in Belgrade. It was painting, however, that became her truest voice later on in life.

Tatjana Kilibarda wearing her award-winning embellished Levi Strauss coat. — Tatjana’s award-winning coat from Levi Strauss’ design competition (1975)

Tatjana Kilibarda’s hand-drawn bikini and dress designs from Paris and Toronto. — Tatjana’s bikini & dress designs from Paris & Toronto (1970s-1980s)

Life in Canada: Tasting Success in the Far West

With her husband Slobodan, Tatjana moved to Canada in 1978 in hope of starting their family in a place that deeply values personal freedom. She lived and worked between Toronto and Niagara (St. Catherines), and painted scenes of Paris during this period. These paintings reflected Tatjana’s natural instinct and quick, multi-layered creative thoughts.

Since then, her works have entered the collections of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), Reader’s Digest, and diplomatic residences including that of the former Italian president, Amintore Fanfani. Shortly after arriving in Canada, Tatjana began a decade-long collaboration with Pluriprint, a gallery located in a prestigious part of Toronto. She also participated in occasional group exhibitions at other galleries, while her work found its way into international collections, embassies, and elite homes throughout Canada and the U.S.

Tatjana Kilibarda’s monochrome portrait painting Their Eyes On Her. — Kilibarda, “Their Eyes On Her”, 2014

PAINTING THE INNER WORLD

Now based in St. Catharines, Ontario, Tatjana continues to devote herself fully to painting, with a highly philosophical and spiritual focus. For the past two decades, she has been quietly selling her work to private collectors, allowing each piece to find its way through word of mouth and personal connection. Her latest collection, Warrior Spirit, comprises seven large-scale works that trace the soul’s journey — from divine creation & mystery (“The Place of Creation”, “Wonders of the Universe”) to ancestral memories (“Roots”), psychological formation (“Ego”, “Alter ego”), angelic guardianship (“Protectors of Our Souls”), and finally, the birth of the ‘inner warrior’ (“Warrior Spirit”).

These seven paintings are now part of an online showcase for collectors, curators, and galleries, and will be featured on Tatjana’s official website during the coming weeks. You can experience her full Warrior Spirit collection firsthand at:

https://tatjanakilibarda.com

The Mural Years

In the 1990s & early 2000s, Kilibarda started experimenting with murals, though not the outdoor kind seen on buildings. Her murals, instead, covered the expansive interior walls of America’s wealthiest villas, where owners would fly her in to transform their homes into environments alive with poetic narrative and inspiring atmosphere. For the wealthiest of her clientele, she additionally created copies of great masters, including Picasso, Matisse, and Renoir. As Tatjana explains, the owners then hung her copies in their living rooms, so that the original masterpieces could be secured in safes, far from potential thieves.

Although this line of work was creatively fulfilling and materially rewarding, it often kept her far away from family, which led her to retire from mural work after five fruitful years of bringing life to people's homes.

Tatjana Kilibarda’s mural Separation of Spirit from Matter, featuring a monumental classical figure.

In her career, she has been known for approaching painting as an invocation, anointing every completed piece with a unique & contemplative aura that evokes the Imago Dei in its spectators. Ecce Creatrix, Tatjana Kilibarda.

Tatjana Kilibarda looking thoughtfully to the side.