A truly multicultural artist, Elisabeth Bolza is of Austrian Nationality and Italo-Hungarian descent. She spent her early years in Germany, before moving to Florence to complete her studies in Interior Design at the Instituto di Arte e Restauro.
Her multicultural background highly influences her artistic expression. The rich history of Al Andalus has long inspired her to reference its inclusive values to work against stereotypes and violence. Deeply troubled by the tragedy of September 11, she decided to attain a Diploma in Modern Literary Arabic at the Seville University Language Institute in 2009. This has developed her work into an artistic concept in which she pays tribute to the Arabic language and Islamic aesthetic tradition, in a manner that complements her own beliefs and values. She aims to explore how the universal value of poetry can be used to resolve conflict- by melding the traditions of both East and West in her work.
This marriage of elements results in artistic collages, referencing themes from architecture, astronomy, archaeology, and geography. Layering imagery using textures such as paper, cotton, dried fibers and leaves, and even the incorporation of ink and calligraphy. Her compositions have a balance and symmetry, which she sometimes interrupts to leave room for interpretation.
She now resides in Andalusia, where she has spent the last 20 years, devoting her time to her art, dedicated to researching the Islamic arts and civilization, whilst also showcasing her work at art fairs internationally.
A nominee for the V&A Jameel Prize, Bolza has showcased her work at ABCC London and is also the first Western artist to exhibit in a solo show at the Bahrain National Museum.