Sophie Varin creates miniature paintings, dreamlike renderings of encounters within hazy landscapes or sparse houses. The artist’s colour palette is bright and bold, with Varin often employing luscious greens and shades of deep red. The figures in her depictions are faceless and seen from a bird’s eye view, casting the viewer as voyeur, a panoptic presence perceiving everything below. Yet the figures remain enigmatic and curious, as if they have been placed in the landscapes, or found themselves there by accident. Much like in a dream, their purpose is unclear, and the viewer is forced to embrace the uncertainty rather than projecting meaning onto the forms.
Written by Goldsmiths CCA ...
