Barbara Matijević studied languages and literature alongside dance and theatre in Zagreb, Croatia. Together with Giuseppe Chico, she is the founder and artistic co-director of Premier Stratagème, a Paris-based theatre company. Her work investigates the influence of digital culture on storytelling, taking shape through autofictional performances, lecture-performances, radio plays, group choreographies, photo exhibitions, and installations.
Presented in over 30 countries across Europe, Asia, and Latin America, her projects have reached audiences in theatres, dance venues, film festivals, art galleries, and museums. As a dancer and actress, she has collaborated with renowned choreographers and theatre directors in France, Croatia, Slovenia, and Belgium, including Boris Charmatz, Joris Lacoste, and Bojan Jablanovac. She has also taught at institutions such as the Osijek Academy of Arts and Culture, the Zagreb Academy of Dramatic Arts (Dance Department), the Helsinki Academy of Fine Arts, and Lasalle College in Singapore.
In October 2022, at the invitation of the Opéra de Lyon, Barbara created a solo for ballet dancer Coralie Levieux as part of the cycle Danser Encore.
Her theatre production Our Daily Performance toured India in 2023. Inspired by YouTube tutorials and built from materials drawn from hundreds of videos, the work—created by B. Matijević and G. Chico, with seven performers—offers original, live “user manuals” for navigating contemporary society.