Artist Biography

Born in London, Sophia Bharmal (1996) received her MArch Degree in Architecture from the University of Edinburgh in 2020 and MA degree from the University of Cambridge in 2016. Back living in London Sophia’s work is rooted in an exploration of her British Indian Muslim heritage. It draws strongly on the complexity of heritage and the exploration of space and identity. Playing with smaller traditions and symbols to create new dream worlds.

Sophia has recently debuted her first solo exhibition Coming Home in Summerhall, Edinburgh, (2023) in collaboration with the charity 'Spit it Out'. Her work has also been exhibited nationally in numerous group exhibitions. She has recently been featured in the Royal Academy of Arts, Summer Exhibition (2021), and Tate Britain’s digital installation ‘Finding Home’, (2021). She has been commissioned by, the Tate collective to produce work for their online Christmas promotion (2021), Pilgrim Contemporary Gallery (London) to produce work for a group exhibition (2021), and Art of a Postcard to produce work for their charity auction (2022). She has also been featured in various publications and interviews most recently a short studio film created by ‘Art on a Postcard’ (2022) and an interview on Islam Channel UK (2021). Recently a selection of Sophia’s work has been consigned by AucArt online gallery.

Artist Statement

My studio practice is rooted in an exploration of my British Indian Muslim background and a questioning of where to call home? As a second generation immigrant I have been brought up in a country that my mother does not relate too. This condition has led to a constant attempt to reconcile contrasting environments. The oil pastel drawings I create introduce these reconciliations through new make belief landscapes, overflowing with different depictions of home. The landscapes sit balanced between places, culture, geography and weather filtering down into the way of dress, the languages spoken and the food eaten. The drawings pull strongly from the complexity of heritage, our colonial past and present, the nearer horrors of associated extremism within the Islamic community and the position and impact on women. Women, in particular, are the focal point of these worlds. They are shown in constant navigation and search for autonomy within differing cultures. I consider myself a visual mirror, attempting to breakdown pre-assumed notions and unapologetically representing the unfamiliar everydayness and struggles of life in my world. Using combined natural landscapes and unconventional architecture I tell stories routed in the realities of being a Muslim woman yet distorted within a placeless paradise. Elements of our hidden community, moments of the country that colonised us and everyday conflicts derived from traditions exist in these places for singular examination.

My body of work explores these themes through large-scale oil pastel and oil stick drawings. The layering of colour, fragmented detailing and multidimensionality of the pieces is used to evoke a tension and tightness. Craving an understanding of the constant negotiation and claustrophobia felt in existing within these carefully balanced environments. The composition itself is cautiously constructed, using symbols and veils to reveal moments of conflict while hiding that which still feels unresolvable. Colour in this work casts an aurora of South Asian and Muslim tradition represented through textiles, pattern and food, veiling over the damaging features of these communities. Initial perceptions of these worlds is something beautiful, rich with vibrancy and enjoyable, enticing the viewer further inwards for examination. However as the composition comes into focus an awareness of conflict existing outside the space of the drawing becomes clear. What is presented are tangible scenarios which exhibit a movement into safe spaces for women to decompress and refute the oppression, undervaluing and objectification experiences in their day to day lives. The views and surroundings of these scenes is an imagery of nature, an entity of peace and independence.

Nature is the reconcile of these worlds, a view of Paradise. In the Qur’an, Paradise is seen as a garden flowing with rivers of water, milk, honey and wine. This has been reimagined through history, depicted in a variety of Mughal Architecture and recreated in Paintings. It is a place where wilderness is tamed and brought to order through strict lines and geometric design. In my work I question this depiction, why is a place representing freedom constrained by human intervention? Is this to make freedom more attainable for people? Curbing nature to create accessibility and easier movement from the suffering of the mortal world into the undeniable bliss of paradise. My ‘garden’ is symbolised through mountainous landscapes, streams and bodies of water taken from the highlands of Scotland and littered with tropical vegetation from Mumbai. Illustrating a divide in place, nevertheless a depiction of found happiness. This nature is still undomesticated, yet constrained through the periphery of architecture. Framed tactfully in windows, doorways and the edges of tiles allowing an attainable access to beauty. The tamed wilderness is reflected in the technical components of the drawings. The use of mediums such as Oil pastel and Oil sticks give a desired roughness to the work, evoking a wild paradisiacal element which is restrained in times of conflict with sharp lines and unforgiving blocks of colour depicting architectural components.

This current series of work originated from a time of helplessness and frustration as the media’s depiction of attitudes toward women spiralled after a series of heart-breaking news stories. This collection of work was created to humanise us and shed light on the individual that is experiencing the subjects of these ‘news stories’. It is both a cry for recognition, representation and validation from the world around us, but also a celebration of the resilience and strength of the women who have inspired me.

View available work and become a collector.