Irena Paunović

Assistant Professor

Narrow scientific or artistic field: Game Design

Subjects: Basics of Video Game Development 1, Basics of Video Game Development 2, Level Design, Character Design, Character Production and Development

Academic career

Irena Paunović completed her bachelor’s and master’s studies at the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Arts, in the painting program. She is currently obtaining her PhD at the same faculty. Additionally, she graduated from the Faculty of Law (University of Belgrade). Throughout her artistic career, Irena Paunović has exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions both domestically and internationally, as well as at significant international animation and short film festivals. She has received awards for drawing and animation, and her work has been written about by Djordje Kadijević and Ješa Denegri. In recent years, Irena Paunović has been an active participant in various commercial projects within the creative industry. She was appointed as an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Contemporary Arts in the Game Design module in 2022.

Representative references

  • TRIIIES, 30 years of Gallery Zvono III part, Gallery Viline vode (Belgrade, Serbia, 2024).
  • 36th Čukarički Art Salon, Gallery ’73 (Belgrade, Serbia, 2023).
  • Assistant director and animator in the short film “Oruđe delanja”, by Biljana Đurđević, Serbian Film Center, Cats and Dogs Production (Belgrade, Serbia, 2019).
  • 42nd World Gallery of Drawing, OSTEN BIENNIAL OF DRAWING (Skopje, North Macedonia, 2014).
  •  “Fragmenti”, FLU Gallery (Belgrade, Serbia, 2014). 
  • International Student and Faculty Exchange, Georgian College, Barrie, Canada, Exhibition of selected students from FLU (Canada, 2014). 
  • Balaclava Gallery (London, United Kingdom, 2013). 
  • Kyiv International Short Film Festival (Kyiv, Ukraine, 2012). 
  • Tricky Women Festival, Category Specials (Vienna, Austria, 2012). 
  • Mikser Festival (Belgrade, Serbia, 2011). 
  • Balkanima: Eighth and Ninth European Animation Festival (Belgrade, Serbia, 2011 and 2012). 
  • “Suočavanje–Odbačeni”, Zvono Gallery (Belgrade, Serbia, 2011). 
  • “Me, myself and I”, Ogms Gallery (Sofia, Bulgaria, 2011/2012). 
  • “New Young”, Zvono Gallery (Belgrade, Serbia, 2010). 
  • “Voyage Bleu”, Big Gallery SCC (Belgrade, Serbia, 2010).
  • Festum, SCC, (Belgrade, Serbia, 2010). 
  • “Granična Zona”, FLU Gallery, (Belgrade, Serbia, 2010). 
  • “Exhibition of Small Format Drawings and Sculptures by Students of the Faculty of Fine Arts”, Gallery of the Belgrade Youth Center (Belgrade, Serbia, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011). 
  • “Progresivne Nade”, Gallery of the Belgrade Youth Center (Belgrade, Serbia, 2008, 2009).

Awards and aknowledgments

  • “Poleksija Todorović” Award for the best artistic work at the 36th Čukarički Art Salon (Belgrade, Serbia, 2023).
  • Summer of Unreal 2021 (Escape Studio, Epic Games London, United Kingdom, 2021).
  • “GOLDEN OSTEN” Award, 42nd World Gallery of Drawing, OSTEN BIENNIAL OF DRAWING (Skopje, North Macedonia, 2014). 
  • Award for the best work by a young generation artist, MIKSER FESTIVAL – Visual Arts Zone (Belgrade, Serbia, 2011).
  • Schoenherr’s annual publication: Roadmap Investment Guide (Vienna, Austria, 2009).

Participation or teaching at special artistic courses, workshops, seminars

  • Participation in the Engage Gam Jam, Electrical Engineering STudents’ European assoCiation (EESTEC), Local Committee Belgrade, with a lecture on “From Idea to Video Games Realization”, Belgrade, Serbia, 2024.
  • Organization of an exhibition of FCA students from the Game Art program at UK Parobrod, Belgrade, Serbia, 2024.
  • EU Tender, Developing CityVerse, The Hub, 2023–2025, Barcelona, Spain, 2023–ongoing.
  • Participation in the I LINK IT & EdTech international conference LINK IT & EdTech23, with research paper “New Perspectives in Education and the Video Game Industry: Implementation of VR, AI, and AR Technologies”, Belgrade, Serbia, 2023.
  • SGA conference “For the Win”, May 2023, Belgrade.
  • SGA conference “Shift to the Games”, December 2022, Novi Sad.
  • Organization and leadership of art workshops for children and adults through the project – Educational Program “Kulturno ogledalo“, funded by the Youth Office of the City of Belgrade 2018–2023.
  • Participation in coordinating the project “Naš Beograd” and leading art workshops for children and adults, Forum for Responsible Business, June 2015.
  • ORCID
  • https://orcid.org/0009-0004-950-8433