Past
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Iva Gueorguieva / Dona Nelson - Portal
16 Mar - 2 May 2018 Exhibitions Sophia Contemporary is pleased to announce Portal, the first two-person show of American artists Iva Gueorguieva and Dona Nelson. Gueorguieva and Nelson come from two successive generations of artists whose work is at the forefront of contemporary abstraction in the United States. Through painting and sculpture, both artists grapple with the history of painting, redefining abstraction and challenging the material and conceptual boundaries of their media. The exhibition initiates an intergenerational visual dialogue through fifteen works including Iva Gueorguieva’s vibrant acrylic and collage works and Dona Nelson’s signature double-sided freestanding paintings. Portal will open to the public with a talk by both artists from 6-7PM on Thursday, March 15, 2018 followed by a private view from 7-9PM. The exhibition will remain on view through May 2, 2018. Read more -
Reza Derakshani - Hunting the Light
26 Jan - 8 Mar 2018 Exhibitions Sophia Contemporary is proud to present ‘Hunting the Light’, the gallery’s second presentation of paintings by the Iranian-American artist Reza Derakshani. Following Sophia’s successful inaugural exhibition of his work in 2016, ‘Hunting the Light’ features twelve new paintings demonstrating Derakshani’s continued quest for a visual language that bridges Iranian artistic traditions with Western contemporary and abstract inclinations. On view from January 26 through March 10, 2018, the exhibition includes new works from three of Derakshani’s ongoing series: ‘Hunting,’ ‘Garden Party,’ and ‘Shirin and Khosrow.’ The new paintings in the series continue in the trademark vivid and expressive style of Derakshani’s earlier works, and are executed in oil on canvas. Read more -
Afruz Amighi - Echo's Chamber
24 Nov 2017 - 19 Jan 2018 Exhibitions Sophia Contemporary is pleased to announce Echo’s Chamber, the first solo exhibition of Iranian-American artist Afruz Amighi in the UK. The exhibition – which also marks Amighi’s first solo show with Sophia Contemporary following her successful inclusion in the gallery’s group show ‘Shifting Landscapes’ earlier this year – will feature nine new sculptures made from the artist’s signature combination of steel, chain, and mesh illuminated by light, along with eight drawings. Spurred by the continued struggle for women’s liberation as well as by the current sociopolitical climate in both the USA where she resides and in her native Middle East, Amighi’s new works explore ideas of femininity through a series of female archetypes from history as well as the artist’s personal experience. Echo’s Chamber will open to the public with a talk by the artist from 6-7PM on Thursday, November 23, 2017 followed by a Private View from 7-9PM. The exhibition will remain on view through January 19, 2018. Read more
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'Two Moderns from the Middle East: Reza Derakshani and Alfred Basbous' at Sotheby's Honk Kong Gallery, China
3 - 20 Nov 2017 Special Projects Over the past decade, Middle Eastern art has gained increasing recognition on the international stage and has begun to capture the attention of Asian collectors. Sotheby’s first exhibition of Middle Eastern art in Asia will present works by two iconic artists: Reza Derakshani (b. 1952), one of Iran’s most celebrated living painters, and Lebanese-born modern sculptor Alfred Basbous (1924 – 2006). The show will provide Asian collectors a unique opportunity to discover the work of these outstanding artists, whilst introducing Middle Eastern art to an even wider global audience. The selling exhibition is guest-curated by international art advisors Arianne Levene Piper and Eglantine de Ganay-d’Espous, in association with Sophia Contemporary Gallery and the Alfred Basbous Foundation, and will offer for sale twelve bronze and marble sculptures by Alfred Basbous and fifteen new oil-on-canvas works by Reza Derakshani. Read more -
Im/material: Painting in the Digital Age
29 Sep - 17 Nov 2017 Exhibitions Featuring eight international artists all under the age of forty - Martin Basher, Michael Bell-Smith, Ry David Bradley, Chris Dorland, Matthew Hansel, Anna Ostoya, Josh Reames, and Konrad Wyrebek - the exhibition reflects on the role of painting in a post-internet age where digital imagery is omnipresent. Read more -
Shifting Landcapes
28 Apr - 23 Jun 2017 Exhibitions Sophia Contemporary is proud to present Shifting Landscapes, a group show of contemporary American artists exploring abstraction through painting, photography and sculpture. Featuring six artists - Afruz Amighi, Iva Gueorguieva, Herman Mejia, Amir Nikravan, Holton Rower and Hannah Whitaker - the exhibition reflects on the evolving nature of American art. Casting a light on the diversity of contemporary approaches to abstraction, the works explore the artists’ impact on the landscape of art and American culture, across generations and disciplines. Read more
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Alfred Basbous: Modernist Pioneer - Selected Works
17 Feb - 22 Apr 2017 Exhibitions Sophia Contemporary Gallery is delighted to present a survey of sculpture by artist Alfred Basbous (1924 – 2006). A major pioneer of Modernist sculpture in the Middle East, Basbous drew on the influence of Jean Arp, Constantin Brâncuși and Henry Moore to create stone and bronze sculptures of often monumental proportions. Read more -
Azadeh Razaghdoost: Recipe for a Poem
24 Nov 2016 - 10 Feb 2017 Exhibitions Sophia Contemporary Gallery is pleased to present 15 recent paintings by Iranian artist Azadeh Razaghdoost for her first solo exhibition in the UK. Azadeh Razaghdoost's practice refers to 19th century European poems of the Romantic Age. Read more -
'Exhibition As Editing Exercise': A project by Nader Koochaki, Winner of MOPCAP 2015
Curated by Mika Savela 11 - 17 Nov 2016 Special Projects Sophia Contemporary Gallery is pleased to announce that Magic of Persia Foundation Contemporary Art Prize 2015 Winner Nader Koochaki is currently completing his three-month residency at the Delfina Foundation in London as part of his prize. This unique opportunity has been accompanied by a year-long mentorship with curator Mika Savela and will result in a solo exhibition at the Sophia Contemporary Gallery and a publication to be launched at the Delfina Foundation. Read more
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Robert Kelly: Black on Bone - Selected Works
28 Sep - 4 Nov 2016 Exhibitions Sophia Contemporary is pleased to announce Black on Bone - Selected Works, the first solo exhibition in London of renowned American abstract artist Robert Kelly (b. 1956) featuring fifteen paintings... Read more -
'Reza Derakshani' at The Museum Gunzenhauser, Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz, Germany
21 Aug - 16 Oct 2016 Special Projects Solo exhibition at The Museum Gunzenhauser, Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz, Germany Read more -
Pooya Aryanpour: Under the Shell
10 Jun - 21 Jul 2016 Exhibitions Sophia Contemporary is pleased to present the first solo exhibition in the UK by renowned Iranian sculptor and painter Pooya Aryanpour. The artist will exhibit a range of his celebrated mirror sculptures alongside new paintings from his Under the Shell series (2016). Rooted in his personal heritage, Aryanpour’s works bring a thoroughly contemporary expression to the Iranian visual tradition – from its artistic techniques to cultural symbolisms - while referencing and exploring the Western tradition of abstract art.
Born in Tehran, Iran in 1971, Pooya Aryanpour obtained a BA and MA in Painting at the School of Plastic Arts and at the Azad University, Tehran, Iran. He currently lives and works in Tehran and teaches Painting, Drawing and Art History at Azad University, Tehran. His work has been widely exhibited in Iran and internationally.
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'Reza Derakshani - Retrospective' at The Russian Museum, St Petersburg, Russia
25 May - 25 Jul 2016 Special Projects Reza Derakshani - Retrospective at the Russian Museum, St Petersburg, Russia Read more -
Reza Derakshani: The Breeze at Dawn
9 Mar - 23 Apr 2016 Exhibitions Opening on 9 March 2016 in London’s Mayfair, Sophia Contemporary is a new gallery showcasing contemporary art of the Middle East and Iran alongside contemporary Western art. Founded by Vassili Tsarenkov, Lali Marganiya and Lili Jassemi, the gallery’s inaugural exhibition showcases several major series of ongoing and new paintings by the artist Reza Derakshani, one of the most celebrated living Iranian artists. Read more