Bio

Vanja Bucan was born in 1973 in Nova Gorica, Slovenia.

She currently lives and works in Berlin as a freelance photographer
and since 2020 collaborates with Ljubljana Academy of Arts (ALUO) as a photo mentor.

Education

2006-2010 – Royal Academy of Fine Arts, The Hague, Photography
1992-1997 – Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Sociology

Exhibitions

2025 – upcoming: Sequences + Dialogues , Leica Gallery Vienna (Solo Show), Austria

2025 – Touch Nature-multimedia group exhibition, Lentos Kunstmuseum, Linz, Austria

2024 – Layering- Collage & Assemblage in Slovene Contemporary Art, Cukrarna Ljubljana

2024 – `Touch Nature` 1/3, Multimedia Group Exhibition, border Gornja Radgona-Bad Radkersburg Slovenia-Austria

2024 – ‘For Your Pleasure’ (with Birds of Paradise), City Gallery Piran, Slovenia

2024 – MillstART 2024, Millstatt am See, Austria

2023 – ‘For Your Pleasure’- Feminist Positions in Visual Art from Slovenia, Museum of Modern Art, Ljubljana, Slo

2023 – ‘Paradise, Performance, Replika’, group show with Birds of Paradise, Frankfurt Fotografie Forum, DE

2023 – ‘Bridges and Breaches’, Pavelhaus, group show, Austria

2023 – ALT1000 PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL (Looking for Sadiq), Le Locle, Switzerland

2023 – Turmwrapping- Art in Public Space, 2023, Vienna, Austria

2023 – ´Birds of Paradise´-SOLO- at EMOP Berlin, Frontviews Gallery, Berlin DE

2022 – ‘Home :A state of transition’, Group Show, Kranj Foto Fest,Slovenia

2022 – The Body as A Point of View, group expo, Galerija Loza Koper,Slovenia

2022 – ‘Nature Future’ by Fetart, outdoor exhibition, Britz Garten, Berlin, DE

2022 – ´Birds Of Paradise´, (Solo Exhibition), Galerija Fotografija, Ljubljana,Slovenia

2022 – ´LensCulture New York 2022´ Group Show, Caelum Gallery, New York, USA

2022 – ‘Rebirth’ group show- Choi Center Cloud House, Beijing,China

2022 – Foto Wien/ Rethinking Nature/Rethinking Landscape, Vienna, Austria

2021 – Portrait(s), groups show, curated by Collectif Fetart, Cormeilles en Parisis, FR

2021 – Thesalloniki Photobiennale Roart Gallery (Solo),Thessaloniki, Greece

2021 – UNSEEN Art Fair,Amsterdam, NL (with Galerija Fotografija)

2021 – Photo Basel, Swizerland (with Galerija Fotografija)

2021 – Rethinking Nature/Rethinking Landscape -Arendt Award,Imago Lisboa, PT

2021 – Intervowen, Multimedia Group Exhibition, Neurotitan Gallery, Berlin, Germany

2021 – Rethinking Nature/.. -Arendt Award, Arendt House, Luxembourg

2021 – Rethinking Nature/.. -Emop Rethinking Nature,Cercle, Luxembourg

2021 – Maravee- Jaz Bivam/Io abito, group exhibition, Mestna Galerija Piran, Slovenija

2021 – Wild Childhood- group exhibition. Lentos Kunstmuseum, Linz, Austria

2020 – ´Positions´ Berlin Art Fair (with Photo Basel/Photon), Berlin, DE

2020 – Sequences /Solo Exhibition/ Photometria Int.Photography Festival, Ioannina, Greece

2020 – Retrospective Solo Exhibition, Artget Gallery, Belgrade,Serbia

2020 – Fotogank projections with slovenian photographers, KCB, Belgrade, Serbia

2020 – Photo Basel (Virtual Edition) , with Photon Gallery

2020 – Fotogank-projections-Tbilisi Photo Festival,Georgia

2020 – Fotogank-slovenian photographers-projections, Ljubljana,Slovenia

2019 – EMOP Month of Photography Bratislava, (Solo), Slovakia

2019 – Photon Gallery Vienna, Austria, (SOLO)

2019 – Viennacontemporary (rep.by Photon Gallery), Vienna, Austria

2019 – LiShui Photography Festival, Museum of Art Lishui,China

2019 – ‘Instinkt’ Membrana Photomagazine-group show, Cankarjev Dom, Ljublana, Slovenia

2019 – The Censored Exhibition, Copenhagen Photo Festival, DK

2019 – Photon-Center for Cont. Photography (SOLO), Ljubljana, Slovenia

2019 – Photo London 2019 (with Photon Gallery)

2019 – Bieler Fototage, Int.Festival of Photography, Biel, Switzerland

2019 – Leica Galerie Wetzlar, LOBA 2018,Wetzlar, Germany

2019 – ‘Directors Choice Series’ Circulation(s), Photo Zurich,Switzerland

2019 – Museum of Contemporary Art (MSUM), Ljubljana, Slovenia

2018 – ‘Vento Solar’, Solar Photo Festival, Fortaleza, Brazil

2018 – Loba 2018 at Photolux Festival, Lucca , Italy

2018 – The Traffic Festival(s)-Circulation, Beijing Photo Week 2018, China

2018 – Artsite Fest, Torino, Italy

2018 – LOBA 2018 Vernissage, Neue Schule fur Fotografie, Berlin, Germany

2018 – 3rd Beijing Photo Biennial: Confusing Public and Private, CAFA Art Museum, Beijing, China

2018 – Talent Latent- SCAN Tarragona – International Festival of Photography, Spain

2018 – Voies Off Festival Screenings, Leica Oscar Barnack Award 2018, Arles, FR

2018 – Athens Photo Festival Main Exhibition, Benaki Museum, Athens, Greece

2018 – Month of Photography Los Angeles, MOPLA official group Show, LA, USA

2018 – “Camouflage”, City Oases, NORDICO City Museum Linz, Austria

2018 – Circulation(s) Festival,Le Centquatre, Paris, France

2018 – Wie im Märchen , Group Show multiple locations, Nö-Art, Austria

2017 – “Odstrti Pogledi’ Galerija Miklova Hisa, Ribnica, Slovenia

2017 – Galerija Lang, Samobor, Croatia (Solo)

2017 – Visions of Nature, Kunst Haus Wien, Museum Hundertwasser, Vienna, Austria

2016 – Pogled 8 – pogled na slovensko likovno umetnost, Galerija Bozidar Jakac, Slovenia

2016 – Brighton Photo Biennial, Exhibiting selected Winners from Lens Culture Awards,Brighton, UK

2016 – Renaissance Photography Prize, Getty Images Gallery, London,UK

2016 – Emergences- Projections with LensCulture Winners, Cour de l’Archevêché, Arles,France

2016 – Photo London with LensCulture Award Winners,Somerset House ,London ,UK

2016 – ‘Kamuflaža’ Group Exhibition, Cankarjev dom, Ljubljana, Slovenia

2016 – Plat(t)form 2016 , Fotomuseum Winterthur, Switzerland

2015 – ‘Margine’ Slovenian Contemporary Photography, Museum of Modern Art, Banja Luka, BiH

2015 – Out of Order, Photo installation at ‘Multiversal’, Berlin, Germany

2013 – EMZIN Slovenian Photo of The Year, Cankarjev Dom, Ljubljana,Slovenia

2013 – Of Love, Tension and Other Minorities, Dom Omladine – Belgrade, Serbia

2012 – Making Room – KABK, den Haag

2011 – Photography is Female – Gallery Riko Debenjak, Slovenia

2011 – Margins – 7th PhotoBiennale Poznan, Poland

2011 – V8 Verlag Gallery – Cologne, Germany, LabOst Group

2011 – Red Dawns Festival -(SOLO) Photo Projections, Ljubljana, Slovenia

2010 – Portfolio Feature-Souvenirs from Earth – European Video Art Cable TV

2010 – Graduation Exhibition – KABK, Den Haag

2010 – LaborOst (Laboratory East) – Group exhibition, Swiss Photo Award, Zurich

2010 – Upcoming Choreographers – Nederlands Dans Theater, The Hague, Holland

2009 – Fools and Follies – (SOLO), Center for Contemporary Photography, Ljubljana

2009 – Photonic Luminatic – Travelling group exposition-Split, Bratislava, Belgrade, Wien

2008 – Month of Photography – Ljubljana

2008 – New Slovenian Photography and Video – K2 Center for Contemporary Art, Izmir, Turkey

2008 – EMZIN Slovenian Photo of the Year, Cankarjev dom, Ljubljana

Awards and Nominations

2023 – Turmwrapping 2023 Artist, Vienna, Austria

2021 – EMOP Arendt Award 2021 Finalist

2020 – Lens Culture Critics Choice Award (Concrete Flowers) , Winner (Top Ten)

2019 – Excellent Photographer Award Winner, Lishui Photo Festival, China

2019 – Nominated for Prix Pictet

2018 – Leica Oscar Barnack Award 2018 Finalist

2018 – Fujifilm Award-Circulation(s)-Special Mention

2016 – selection Plat(t)form 2016 , Switzerland

2016 – Renaissance Photography Prize, London, UK, Winner Single Image

2015 – Lens Culture Exposure Award 2015, 1st prize Single Image

2008 – EMZIN Slovenian Photo of the Year, Winner

Publications/Featured Work

2025 – Gente Di Fotografia Magazine, portfolio, IT

2025 – The Mockingbird , Nr26, USA

2024 – Les Grand Dossiers Sciences Humaines, Featured works, France

2024 – ‘Self Knowledge’ -the School of Life Edition, book, UK

2023 – Cukr Magazine, ‘Body’, Portfolio Anatomy of False Memories

2023 – Exit N.92, Opera Prima, Portfolio Sequences of Truth and Deception, Spain

2023 – Profil Magazine, Interview, Austria

2022 – Museums Quartier Vienna, Winter Promo Campaign

2022 – Juliet Art Magazine, Feature,Italy

2021 – Beaux Arts, October 2021, photo feature, FR

2021 – STIRWORLD, interview, India

2021 – Libération Journal, featured artist,FR

2021 – Wilde Kindheit, Exhibition Catalogue, Lentos Kunstmuseum Linz

2021 – 9lives magazine, online feature, FR

2021 – Lens Culture interview (Concrete Flowers)

2021 – The Mockingbird, USA

2021 – The New Yorker Magazine, commission/ portrait of Jenny Erpenbeck

2020 – The Guardian, feature

2020 – Aesthetica Magazine Online Feature

2020 – Gingerzine, front cover and portfolio, USA

2020 _ Twelve Magazine, portfolio January 2020, Germany

2019 – Membrana Magazine, interview & portfolio

2019 – IDEAT China, Magazine for Design, Portfolio & Interview, Spring 2019

2019 – Causette Magazine, portfolio feature, January 19′

2018 – Philosophie Magazin, Germany, feature

2018 – Ljubljana City of Design

2018 – Monthly Photography Magazine, South Korea, portfolio & interview

2018 – Delo, Sobotna Priloga interview

2017 – Visions of Nature, Exhibition Book/Catalogue

2016 – Philosophie Magazin, Germany

2016 – Featured in Art Photo Index

2016 – Photonews Hamburg cover feature

2016 – Fotografija na Kavču, Cankarjev dom

2015 – Magazine ‘Fotografija’, commissioned work

2012 – Het Nutshuis promotional campaign

2012 – Maribor European Capital of Culture 2012

2012 – CAAP (Center for Autonomous and Alternative Production), Maribor, Slovenia

2012 – New Dutch Photography Talent – Book

2012 – Les Rencontres.eu – Maribor Capital of Culture 2012

2011 – Amnesty International NL/RS promotional campaign

2010 – Lab East, 30 Photographic Positions from Central and Eastern Europe – Photo Book

Collections

Arendt & Medernach Private Collection – Luxembourg / Vienna Insurance Group Private Collection/ MSUM Ljubljana

Individual collections in Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, Canada