Tara Beata Racz

She was born in 1991 in Zagreb. In 2016, she graduated in psychology from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, and was awarded two Dean's Awards for Excellence for her achievements and commitment during her studies. In 2019, she graduated in painting from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb in the class of Prof. Ksenija Turčić. During her painting studies, she was awarded four Rector's Awards. She completed her education in Clinical Expressive Art Therapy and has so far led a series of expressive art therapy workshops in collaboration with the St. Ivan Psychiatric Hospital (2014–2018), the Trešnjevka Cultural Center (2020–2023), the Miroslav Kraljević Gallery (2021–2021 – 2024) and the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb (2019–2024). She has participated as a presenter with the presentation of expressive art therapy at numerous conferences, among which the 3rd International Congress of Expressive Art Therapy You, Me and The Arts Between (Athens, 2018), 4. Congress of Expressive Art Therapy Growing togheter, Community as art (Zagreb, 2018), 1st Congress of Forest Therapy (Zagreb, 2022), 7th International Transdisciplinary Symposium Bioethics and Aporia of the Psyche (Zagreb, 2023), 21. Lošinj Days of Bioethics, (Mali Lošinj, 2023), 1st Croatian Congress of Lifestyle Medicine with International Participation "The Oldest Medicine in a New Guise" (Zagreb, 2023), Scientific and Professional Conference with International Participation Creative Pulse (Zagreb, 2023). In addition, Tara Beata Racz is active on the art scene. To date, she has exhibited at numerous group and solo exhibitions. At the 5th Biennial of Painting, she received the HPB Award for Young Artist. She is one of the founders of the art organization Nahero, within which she conducts art festivals and art therapy and creative workshops intended to maintain mental health, encourage creativity and strengthen the local community. She is employed as an art therapist at the Center for Rehabilitation Zagreb and as an external associate in the courses Introduction to Art Therapy 1 and 2 at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb.

My painting explores the spaces between the conscious and the unconscious, the human and the animal, the real and the imaginary. Through vibrant colors, layered textures and hybrid forms, I create visual landscapes that function as mirrors of inner worlds. Each painting is a dialogue between me and the canvas as well as between the observer and personal unconscious contents. I draw inspiration from mythology, archetypes and universal symbols that reflect the collective human need to understand and integrate opposites. In my works, hybrid forms often appear that combine the human and the animal, alluding to the instinctive, repressed or unconscious aspects of the psyche. These figures often reside in ambivalent spaces – between darkness and light, inner and outer, known and unknown. As artists and art therapists, I see the artistic act as a kind of ritual of introspection. The creative process is the interweaving of the conscious and the unconscious at one moment in which personal emotions, memories and subconscious impulses are formed into visual symbols. In my art therapy work, I use the creative process as a tool to explore emotions, integrate the unconscious and strengthen the sense of connection, both with myself and with others. My paintings do not offer answers, but ask questions. With visual language, I try to express what escapes words – the fragility of human relationships, the tension between closeness and isolation, and the essential longing for connection. For me, art is not the ultimate truth, but a process – a continuous exploration of the boundaries between ourselves and the world around us. In my artistic work, I strive to create a space in which the personal and the universal intertwine, opening up the possibility for the observer to find their own inner landscapes in my paintings. In the process, I constantly return to the question of boundaries – between identity and transformation, consciousness and subconscious, the individual and the collective.

The course Introduction to Art Therapy explores the interdisciplinary connection between art and therapeutic processes, focusing on the use of creative expression to support mental health and personal development. Through theoretical and practical aspects, the course includes the analysis of personality structure, understanding of mental disorders and the application of verbal and non-verbal communication in therapeutic work. Special emphasis is placed on the symbolism of visual expression, the process of free associations and the therapeutic potential of artistic creativity. Various techniques and materials in art therapy, their psychological characteristics and the ways in which they can be used for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes are explored. The program includes a historical overview of the development of art therapy, an analysis of its place within the broader context of psychotherapy, and insight into key theoretical directions and methods. Students develop practical skills through experiential work, workshop leadership, and clinical practice, learning to use the creative process as a tool for communication, exploring emotions, and supporting the treatment of various mental conditions. The program is implemented in cooperation with the St. Ivan Psychiatric Hospital, where students have the opportunity to participate in conducting art therapy workshops and gain experience in the therapeutic environment through practical work. This cooperation provides direct insight into clinical practice and the application of art therapy in working with patients, which deepens the understanding of therapeutic processes and develops competencies for future professional work.

– "Hurry up, take your time", Crta Gallery, Zagreb – "Eros and Psyche", Kvart Gallery, Zagreb – "Frogs", Gallery of St. Chrysogonus, Šibenik – "Dancing with Shadows", Jozo Kljaković Gallery, Zagreb – "Hybrids", Šira Gallery, Zagreb – "Transanimalia", Zlati Ajngel Gallery, Varaždin – "They are here", Gallery of Fine Arts "Slavko Kopač", Vinkovci and 2020 – 5th and 6th Biennial of Painting at HDLU – "They are leaving", Glyptotheque of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Zagreb – "Coloristic Dialogues", Forum Gallery