Check Out Elizabeta Betinski’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Elizabeta Betinski.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born and raised in Belgrade, former Yugoslavia, a country that no longer exists, I left Yugoslavia in 1993 as a brutal civil war tore it apart and obliterated it from the maps. I am a director, curator and producer now based in the vibrant Los Angeles neighborhood of Highland Park.

After graduating from college, I began my journey in the arts: first by founding a contemporary art gallery, Overtones, then establishing an arts nonprofit organization, bardoLA. I am particularly interested in how art functions outside institutions and have spend much of my time working extensively with site-specific art internationally: as curator and producer of three Collateral Events at La Biennale di Venezia (2015, 2019, 2022) with bardoLA; as Executive Director of the inaugural Desert X (2017); and through productions at the Pyramids of Giza and the Los Angeles International Airport. I hold an MFA in Creative Writing (Goddard College) and am a Fulbright U.S. Scholar (2026–2027), with a research project focused on cultural memory in Serbia through film, journalism, and the legacy of the Spomenik monuments.

In 2023, I took a new turn on my path and began working in film. My film work currently spans two projects: a narrative feature inspired by the true story of Yugoslav investigative journalist Dada Vujasinović, and SPOMEN, a return, through a documentary film, to the landscapes and culture that formed me.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I don’t think that smooth roads really exists – there are always bumps and obstacles along the way. Art and artists in the United States do not receive sufficient funding support and that is usually the source of the struggles. I learned early on to trust my life’s path which has made it easier for me to keep moving forward and take risks.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’ve spent over two decades elevating and championing California artists, most notably through exhibitions at the Venice Biennale. But I’ve never been particularly interested in staying within one medium, institution, or professional lane. My work has always been about creating platforms for ambitious ideas and finding ways for artists of all mediums to enter conversations that are larger than the conventional art world.

I’ve founded and run arts organizations, and curated exhibitions and international projects. I’m especially drawn to work that sits between disciplines and asks difficult questions about place, memory, politics, and who gets to shape cultural narratives.

What I’m most proud of is the ability to take an idea that may initially seem difficult to place and build the structure around it to make it happen, whether that means an exhibition in Venice, a nonprofit from the ground up, or a feature film about a journalist whose story has been suppressed for decades.

I think what sets me apart is that I’m equally comfortable thinking conceptually and getting into the weeds of making something real. I am now bringing that same approach to my own work. It’s a departure from spotlighting the work of other artists, but an exciting one, and my two current film projects have me deeply engaged and busy in the best possible way.

Any big plans?
Film is where I’m putting my energy for the foreseeable future. I’m currently working on two feature films, one documentary and one narrative, both rooted in the questions that have shaped much of my work over the years: memory, history, politics, place, and the stories that get lost or deliberately pushed aside. Creative collaboration has always been central to me and I love that working in film is opening up new ways of collaborating with other artists while also giving me an opportunity to express my own voice. In a world increasingly overwhelmed by bad news, I remain deeply grateful for the artists and art reminding us that even in the darkest of times, we have the agency to reach for beauty, imagination, and possibility.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.elizabeta.art/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabeta14/

Image Credits
Elizabeta Betinski. Film Stills.