Anja Karisik was born in Sarajevo in 1987. Her family fled Bosnia and Hercegovina in 1994 and spent the following two years on the Adriatic seacoast of northern Croatia. These formative years created an enduring imprint on the artist’s worldview, with deep-seated memories of the intertidal life that covers the Adriatic coast. Cultured in the study of art, Karisik is a graduate of Fine Art History at the University of Toronto and studied experimental and figure drawing at the Toronto School of Art. Karisik’s acclaimed solo exhibitions have seen the artist’s work included in significant collections throughout the country and abroad. She has exhibited across Canada, including at the Maritime Museum of British Columbia, the Toronto Heliconian Club, and the Robert Bateman Centre in Victoria, BC. Karisik is represented by Ingram Gallery in Toronto, Ontario.
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Which ’hood are you in?
I inhabit two places in the city. My home is in the Annex, but my art studio is near the Old Mill on the banks of the Humber River. The Annex is full of mature trees, green spaces, and lush gardens, integral to its character and appeal. Sometimes, a walk home from the grocery store inspires a painting. I take photographic references and bring these back to my west-end studio, where I paint in natural light only. Once the last light leaves the studio, so do I. Then, I take my daily walks along the Humber River, where seasonal changes show themselves in an endlessly evolving pageantry of colours. Vibrant but momentary autumn foliage, snow-covered branches, sunlight sparkling on the lively river – all these subjects have made their way into my work.
What do you do?
I’m a painter. My work reflects my deep connection to nature, focusing on landscapes that evoke a sense of place and the perennial wisdom of nature’s structures. Exploring themes of transition and the interplay between memory and the environment, I pull inspiration from childhood experiences by the sea, travels both regional and national, and walks along the Humber River and in the Annex. You will find me working in several media, from oils and acrylics to watercolour and gouache, along with drawing in soft and oil pastels.
What are you currently working on?
I’m painting toward my debut solo exhibition, Strata of Memory, which will be shown in May at Ingram Gallery in Toronto. When I began working toward this show, I was drawn to the smaller moments in a landscape – the kind you might pass by without noticing. The shimmer of sunlight on a lake’s surface, the texture of weathered stones underwater, the quiet dance of grasses in the wind. These fragments of the natural world felt as alive and significant as any sweeping vista. By narrowing the view, I hope to expand the experience. This shift from distance to proximity mirrors the way we remember. An abstract recollection suddenly gives way to detail – scent, texture, sound – that brings the past into focus. As I painted, I thought about how memories accumulate, building strata over time, just as sediment layers create the rock formations I’ve captured in many paintings. Layers shape both landscapes and lives. Memory gives landscapes meaning.
Where can we find your work?
I’m represented by Ingram Gallery at 24 Hazelton Avenue in the heart of Yorkville. Visit the gallery in person or online to see my paintings and drawings. My website offers a thorough scope of my painting career to date at www.anjakarisik.com
