Koraljka Polacek

Koraljka Polacek is a Croatian painter whose work is almost entirely devoted to representing cats, her primary source of artistic inspiration, making her a distinctive figure in the Croatian art scene.

She was born in Zagreb, Croatia, into a family of artists, and graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb in 1998, under the mentorship of Professor Eugen Kokot.

In her early years, she worked and exhibited at the family art studio in Baška on the island of Krk. The studio was established in the early 1960s by her great-grandmother, ceramicist Katarina Pezer, and later became her grandfather Slavko Marić’s painting studio in the 1980s.

Koraljka began exhibiting her work during her student years, participating in both solo and group exhibitions. After graduating, she taught art in Zagreb and later on the island of Cres, where she lived from 2007 to 2023.

A lifelong animal lover, especially of cats, Koraljka organized a feral cat protection initiative while living on Cres. This experience profoundly influenced her artistic expression, leading her to make cats the central motif of her work, which she calls "Mačkoslike" (a Croatian term meaning "cat paintings").

Koraljka is an award-winning painter and art educator, having re...

1991-1998: Academy of Fine Arts (MA), Zagreb, Croatia.
Department of Art education and Art history, course Painting

Solo exhibitions:
2025. Cres Croatia, Moise Palace, "Cat Paintings 2024-25"
2025. Zagreb Croatia, Public Library Novi Zagreb, "Cat Paintings"
2025. Zagreb, Oblok Gallery, "Equilibrium"
2024. Zagreb Croatia, M2 Library, "Cat Paintings"
2024. Zagreb, Croatia, Public Library Starcevic Square, "Cat Paintings"
2023. Rijeka Croatia, Book Caffe "Cat Paintings"
2023. Mali Lošinj, Croatia, The City Library, "Summertime"
2022. Cres, Croatia, Cres Museum, "Island Whispers"
2021. Cres, The City Library, ''Drawings''
2020. Zagreb, Kontrast Gallery "Cat Paintings 2019-2020"
2018. Zagreb, Cat Caffe Zagreb, ''Cat Paintings''
2017. Zagreb, R3A Gallery, ''Cat Paintings''
2016. Zagreb, Oblok Gallery ''Just Painting''
2016. Mali Lošinj , The City Library /Drawings
2015. Mali Lošinj, NGO Kreativno sklonište ''Slow&Easy''
2012. Cres, The City Library ''Cres Sketches''
2010. Cres, The City Library ''Drawings & Prints''
2009. Rijeka, RIBOOK /oil paintings
2009. Cres, NGO Ruta
2007. Zagreb, Library A.Cesarec, ''Drawings of Pets''
2007. Zagreb, International Cat Show, ''Cats''
2006. Zagreb, Contempora, ''Animals''
2006. Punat, TOŠ gallery, Oil Paintings 2004-2006.
2006. Velika Gorica, International Cat Show, 'Cats'
2006. Sveti Martin Spa, ''Oil P...