Sophie Varin

Sophie Varin was born in France in 1993. After growing up between the countryside and Paris, she got her BA from the National Fine Art School of Paris (tutored by Michel François), then studied at Hunter College School of Fine Art in New York and finally graduated from her MFA at the Piet Zwart Institute in Rotterdam. She lives in Brussels. Sophie Varin’s paintings and sculptures focus on social life and how it often means a negociation between what you would like to see of others, and what you would like to hide of yourself. Depicting seemingly banal situations, her works create ambiguous scenarios where apparent familiarity shows a twisted face. She is interested in conviviality and hospitality and the social representation, adjustments and misunderstandings that can be related to it. Very interested in abilities to adapt and mimicry techniques, she likes to think of her subject’s capacity to understand -or fail to- its context. Her works give a great importance to the gaze of the observer, the witness, the public. Especially how curiosity, desire or fantasy have the ability to modulate what is seen. This distorted gaze, too thirsty to remain rational, is projecting so many blurred scenarios onto the real. Sophie has had recent solo exhibitions at Fortnight Institute (New York) Brooke Benington (London) CunstLink, curated by feeelings (Brussels). Her work was also included in group shows at Plus One Gallery (Antwerp), Avee Gallery (Kortrijk), Glassbox (Paris) or La Friche Belle de Mai (Marseille)