Biography
Zorica Purlija migrated age 8 from Montenegro, to Australia: a country where she could not speak the language. As she learned to live in a different culture, she observed that the nuances of human interaction often were more revealing than the words.
After studying graphic design and photography at Nepean College, Zorica spent some years travelling through Europe, experiencing life and art. She returned to Australia, began a family and devoted herself to full time mothering.
Since 1999, Zorica has been pursuing her artistic vision, through the medium of photography.
Initially pursuing themes of beauty, longing and the human experience through photographic portraiture, Zorica developed a unique ability to capture the essence of her subjects, beginning (and continuing) with a series of portraits of her muse, Yumi.
Her ability to engage and put her subjects at ease has resulted in extraordinary images of some of our society’s most, and least, privileged members.
More recently in addition to her portrait work, Zorica has been pursuing less figurative subjects, incorporating ethereal elements of landscape, and everyday objects seen in new ways.
She continues to exhibit widely, and her public profile continues to build: she has been a finalist in the National Photographic Portrait Prize, Canberra, three years consecutively.
2007 Represented by Sara Roney Gallery Sydney Australia
2012 Began (part time) Postgraduate Masters of Art in Digital Media at COFA. Sydney
