Jana Dabac studied at the Faculty of Architecture, University of Zagreb, where she graduated in 2004 with a design for the Museum of photography as her Master degree final project. During her studies, she participated in various workshops and exhibitions and at the International Architecture Competition ‘The Harbourpolis Hamburg – 15 Schools of Architecture’, on which, as part of the team, she won the 1st prize and received the Rector’s Award for the same project in 2004.
After graduation, she works as an architect for various architectural offices and in 2007 she founded the office for architecture and design ‘DiaPozitiva’.
Since 2003 Jana Dabac has participated in numerous architectural, urban and design exhibitions and competitions and won several awards.
In 2010 and 2011 she works in the editorial office of the magazine of Croatian Architects’ Association ‘Man and Space’, dedicated to architecture, design and visual arts.
Along with architecture, she is also interested in design and photography, and in 2011 she founded the artistic tandem ‘Girls*’ with Jurana Hraste. In 2011 they had the first solo exhibition ‘Frame Obsession’ in the Student Center ‘&TD Gallery’.
In 2013 Jana Dabac lived in Rijeka /Croatian city by the sea, whose name translated into English means the river/ and during that period she was working on a photo series ‘Rijeka je more’ /’River is the sea’/ that was exhibited on a solo exhibition /with the participation of Petar Dabac/ in Croatian theatre Pecs in Hungary.
In 2018 as artist in residence, Jana Dabac spent three months in Krems, Austria, working on her photo-video projects /’Intimate distance’, ‘The Red String’/ and also collaborating with artists from various fields of activity.
In 2018, The red string project was exhibited on a solo exhibition in Vladimir Nazor library in Zagreb, and with the project Intimate distance, Jana Dabac participated on the HT Award for contemporary art in the Museum of Contemporary Art in Zagreb in 2019.
Solo Exhibitions
21 _ Korčula town museum / ‘Echoes of space’ // Interactive sound installation
20 _ Gallery ‘Principij’, Rijeka / ‘Sloboda od i sloboda za’ // Foto+video / +Petar Dabac
19 _ Gallery ‘Greta’, Zagreb / ‘Intimate distance’ // Photo installation
18 _ Vladimir Nazor library, Zagreb / ‘The Red String’ // Photographs +video
13 _ Croatian Theater Pecs, Hungary / ‘Rijeka je more’ // Photographs / +Petar Dabac
12 _ Gallery ‘Nano’, Zagreb / ‘Watch out! Don’t step on the little people’ // Photo series / +Jurana Hraste
12 _ Gallery ‘Moria’, Stari Grad, Hvar / ‘Bunny called Rabbit’ // Photo series / +Jurana Hraste
12 _ Gallery ‘Greta’, Zagreb / ‘You and I’ // Photographs +video // +Jurana Hraste
12 _ Gallery ‘Matica hrvatska’, Zagreb / ‘Watch out! Don’t step on the little people’ // Photo series / +Jurana Hraste
11 _ Gallery ‘&TD’, Students center, Zagreb / ‘Frame obsession’ // Photo series / +Jurana Hraste
10 _ Gallery of Croatian Designers Association, Zagreb / ‘ZG Urban equipment’ // Project ‘Space of identity, space of interaction, space of change’ / With Association for interdisciplinary and intercultural research / +Luciano Basauri, Dafne Berc, Dominko Blažević, Sonja Leboš
Group exhibitions
21 _ ‘Vizura aperta‘ / Exhibition and workshop / Dom kulture Podšpilje, Island of Vis / ‘Trag‘ // Photo+video / ‘Vis graffiti‘ // Space intervention
20 _ ‘Refreshing Memory/Kad spomenici ožive’ / ‘Trag’ // Foto+video
18 _ ‘HT Award for contemporary art’ / Museum of Contemporary Art Zagreb / ‘Intimate distance’ // Photo installation
17 _ ‘Cooperation strategies’ / Gallery ‘Atelieri Žitnjak’, Zagreb / ‘Silence’ // Photographs / +Jurana Hraste
15 _ ’50. Zagreb Salon’ / ‘Memorial park, playground and sculpture’, Slavonski Brod / Architecture+sculpture // Sculpture by Kristina Fontana Dujmić / Competition project
13 _ Gallery ‘Moment 39’, Zagreb / ‘Silence’ // Photographs / +Jurana Hraste
2012 _ Gallery ‘Greta’, Zagreb / ‘Watch out! Don’t step on the little people’ // Photo series / +Jurana Hraste
12 _ Gallery ‘Moment 39’, Zagreb / You and I // Video / +Jurana Hraste
12 _ Gallery ‘Moment 39’, Zagreb / ‘Watch out! Don’t step on the little people’ // Photo series / +Jurana Hraste
11 _ Gallery ‘Greta’, Zagreb / ‘1987_2011’ // Photo series / +Jurana Hraste and Petar Dabac
11 _ International design exhibition ‘D Day’, Zagreb / ‘Square on square // Modular shelf system / Fabrika architects
06 _ ’38. Zagreb Salon’ / Recreational park ‘XtremeWest’, Zagreb // Urbanism+architecture / Competition project / ‘Urbane tehnike’
05 _ Street exhibition in Copenhagen / Recreational park ‘XtremeWest’, Zagreb // Urbanism+architecture / Competition project / ‘Urbane tehnike’
Awards
15 _ ‘Memorial park, playground and sculpture’, Slavonski Brod // Architecture+sculpture / Sculpture by Kristina Fontana Dujmić / Competition project / 2nd Prize
12 _ ‘Pope John Paul II monument and square, Dubrovnik // Architecture+sculpture / Competition project / ‘Fabrika architects’, sculpture by Hrvoje Urumovic / 2nd Prize
07 _ ‘Tromostovlje’, Zagreb // Urbanism+architecture / Competition project / ‘Urbane tehnike’ / 1st Prize
06 _ ‘Podbrežje’, Zagreb // Urbanism+architecture / Competition project / ‘Urbane tehnike’ / 1st Prize
06 _ Residential-commercial building ‘Savska’, Zagreb // Architecture / Competition project / ‘Urbane tehnike’ / 1st Prize
05 _ Recreational park ‘XtremeWest’, Zagreb // Urbanism+architecture / Competition project / ‘Urbane tehnike’ / Finalists of Design & Innovation competition ‘Index 2005’
04 _ Recreational park ‘XtremeWest’, Zagreb // Urbanism+architecture / Competition project / ‘Urbane tehnike’ / 2nd Prize
04 _ ‘The Harborpolis Hamburg – 15 Schools of Architecture’ // Urbanism+architecture / International student competition project / +Marina Dilberović, Andrea Cvetko / Mentors Veljko Oluić, Mladen Jošić / Rector’s award, University of Zagreb
03 _ ‘The Harborpolis Hamburg – 15 Schools of Architecture’ // Urbanism+architecture / International student competition project / +Marina Dilberović, Andrea Cvetko / Mentors Veljko Oluić, Mladen Jošić / 1st Prize
Publications
11 _ Cover of magazine ‘Zarez’ No. 323-324 / Photograph from ‘Watch out! Don’t step on the little people’ photo series
10 _ Cover of a book ‘Atemschaukel’ by Herta Muller / Photograph from ‘Watch out! Don’t step on the little people’ photo series / Design by Ira Payer
07 _ ‘Chocolate Museum’ // Architecture / ‘Urbane tehnike’ / Published by journal ‘Man and Space’ 03-04 2007 (634-635) / ISSN 0011-0728
06 _ ‘Podbrežje’, Zagreb // Urbanism+architecture / Competition project / ‘Urbane tehnike’ / Published by Project Zagreb: Transition as condition, strategy, practice by Eve Blau and Ivan Rupnik / ISBN-10: 849654057X, ISBN-13: 978-8496540576 / Published by ‘Prostor’ 17(2009) 1(37) ISSN 1330-0652
04 _ Recreational park ‘XtremeWest’, Zagreb // Urbanism+architecture / Competition project / ‘Urbane tehnike’ / Published by journal ‘Man and Space’ 03-04 2006 (622-623) / SSN 0011-0728
03 _ ‘The Harborpolis Hamburg – 15 Schools of Architecture’ // Urbanism+architecture / International student competition project / +Marina Dilberovic, Andrea Cvetko / Mentors Veljko Oluic, Mladen Jošic / Published by L’Architecture d’Aujourd’hui / Nov/Dec 2003 349 / ISBN 2-85893-743-5 / Published by journal ‘Man and Space’ LI/01-02 / ISSN 0011-0728 / ISBN 2-85893-713-3