Irina Černjavski Šantrić

Irina Černjavski Šantrić, born in 1971 in Peć, Kosovo and Metohija, is a Serbian painter and poet of Russian descent. She graduated in sculpture from the Faculty of Arts in Priština, in the class of Professor Zoran Karalejić. Her artistic and poetic work is deeply influenced by her heritage and the spiritual landscapes of Kosovo, particularly the Orthodox monasteries and the natural beauty of the region.

She began her professional career at the Regional Museum in Peć, where she worked as a gallerist and later as its director. After the Kosovo conflict in 1999, she relocated to Belgrade, where she continues to live and create. Her work often reflects themes of exile, memory, and identity, drawing from her family's history—her ancestors fled Russia during the October Revolution and settled in Peć, becoming part of a vibrant community of Russian émigrés.

Irina’s paintings are known for their emotional depth and spiritual resonance, often inspired by the frescoes of Kosovo monasteries and the landscapes of the Prokletije mountains and Rugova gorge. Her poetry complements her visual art, forming a unified expression of personal and cultural reflection.