Lucija Zaja is a Croatian mixed-media artist, based between Europe and Australia. Her work is a fusion of abstraction and figuration. What fuels her practice most, are themes related to trauma, and how certain events transform our emotional, psychological, and physical body. In her process, she begins with painting a layer, after which figures are formed representing our broken parts, personal struggles, and lack of humanity. The mediums she uses include acrylics, gouache, and different types of collaging. Through delicate brushstrokes, pouring methods, and deconstructed body parts Lucija captured the schisms and contradictions of our lives. Lucija’s approach is very intuitive, and defies conventional description. Everything that is stored in the subconscious mind can be revealed and translated into a depiction in painting. Lucija is developing her current practice of experimenting with sewing canvas and other materials. This departure from the traditional ways of using canvas and paper serves as an investigation of deconstructing the very materials and mediums she typically uses. Through this exploration, Lucija investigates where she belongs, how the environment she lives in shapes her, and if it is possible to embrace our tragedies as inspirations.