Sophia Belkin’s lush and verdant paintings implore the viewer to look closely at the artist’s material exploration and references to nature that are direct and abstract. Collaged from fabric that is stained, dyed and digitally printed, the various components of the paintings are joined with embroidered seams that mimic the veining on the underside of a magnolia leaf. Belkin’s studio is filled with remnants of stained fabric from a past life that becomes repurposed through her practice. Small pieces of screenprinted aquamarine denim repopulate throughout different paintings, like cells multiplying and growing across surfaces. Organic motifs flow over the surface of the paintings like water radiating out from a skipping stone, disrupted only by the occasional miniature image of a moment in Belkin’s day: a TV remote, flower from the garden, or New Orleans artifact may appear, making for a viewing experience akin to a curious I Spy book as the artist melds two worlds effortlessly.
Sophia Belkin (b. 1990, Moscow, Russia) lives and works in Baltimore, Maryland. She earned her BFA in drawing and printmaking from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2012. She has participated in residency programs in Wisconsin, Vermont, Norway, Russia, and the Narva Art Residency in Estonia. She also completed a residency at the Joan Mitchell Foundation in New Orleans in Spring 2024. Recent exhibitions include Slice of Water at Dinner Gallery in New York, Peeling Shadows at Ochi Gallery in Los Angeles and Ground Swell at Resort Gallery in Baltimore. This is the artist’s first solo exhibition with HEMPHILL.