Tamara Jovandic-Everson
Serbian/British, b. 1968

Tamara Jovandic-Everson (b. 1968, Sarajevo) is a Serbian/British figurative artist delving into themes of female identity, solitude, sexuality, and spirituality. 

Through expressionistic and impressionistic imagery, she explores the complexity of the female form, often using nudity as a symbolic language to reflect vulnerability, power, and transcendence.

Tamara’s body of work is profoundly autobiographical. Her recurring themes of suffering, exile, sacrifice, and emptiness are rooted in her personal history - growing up during a time of civil war in the former Yugoslavia and later living in exile. These lived experiences shape her poignant visual narratives, where spiritual and mythological undertones often emerge in tension with the corporeal. Her paintings are marked by a deep fascination with contrast - visually, emotionally, and thematically. 

Drawing influence from the Italian Baroque, particularly Caravaggio, Tamara is known for her dramatic use of chiaroscuro, rich and dark palettes, and dynamic compositions. She works primarily from life models, painting swiftly and directly onto canvas to capture the immediacy and intimacy of her subjects.

Tamara now explores “painting within painting”, enlarging fragments of figures and experimenting with texture and materiality. Incorporating sand, plaster, and resin, she introduces new layers of depth and abstraction, amplifying the emotional and tactile dimensions of her work.