OPEN CALL — SEPTEMBER EXHIBITION, LONDON
SOVA will be accepting applications for artists to be part of our upcoming exhibition taking place this September in London.
We welcome submissions from artists at all stages of their practice and working across all mediums. Emerging and established artists are equally encouraged to apply.
This exhibition will bring together a carefully selected group of creatives within a thoughtful space designed for work to be seen, experienced, and connected with new audiences.
The exact location will be announced next month - it will be in the central/ east London area.
If you have any questions, feel free to dm or email me directly.
APPLICATION FORM - LINK IN BIO
I look forward to seeing your work 🤍
DEADLINE - MAY 30
Istanbul Modern, October 2024.
My husband (boyfriend at the time) arranged a day dedicated to spending time together and showing me parts of his city I’d connect with. In between meeting his family, appointments, and experiencing the city for the first time, this day stayed with me.
He took me to Istanbul Modern, knowing how much I’d appreciate spending hours looking at art. Most of the artists throughout the museum were Turkish, introducing me to work I’d never experienced in person before and opening my perspective to a different visual language.
I still think about these small works by Albert Bitran.
I’m so grateful for this experience and for meeting such a beautiful group of women.
Before coming here, my idea of what a residency entailed was quite limited, and of course they are all different. I’ve developed the way I think about travelling, progression and creative practice through my life but being part of this residency has helped me centre and relate my current work to the reason I started creating. It’s reminded me how important it is to give myself time and space away from daily life.
This time gave me room to breathe, reflect, share ideas, and have conversations where I felt genuinely listened to and understood. Being in such an open space helped so much more than just my work.
I’m looking forward to this next phase of my path with a clearer mind and renewed energy.
Thank you to Christina at @descoverartists for creating something so thoughtful, and thank you to all the lovely ladies I met 🤍
I’m often inspired by the things around me. Wherever I go, I make time to look properly, notice details, and visit exhibitions or creative spaces.
For me, regularly seeing new work and different environments is an important part of developing ideas and keeping perspective. It’s a simple way to stay connected to creativity outside of my own practice.
Photos taken during my recent graphic design short course at Chelsea College of Art.
Before SOVA, there was always the instinct to create spaces and bring people together through art.
My first exhibition was in 2022, held in my warehouse studio in Dalston. It began simply as a way to show my own work, but what stayed with me most was the feeling of opening a space, welcoming people in, and seeing connection happen around the work.
Since then, I’ve worked with creatives from all kinds of backgrounds, practicing across different mediums — painting, sculpture, photography, installation, and more — helping shape and present their work in ways that feel considered and intentional.
That experience of community, conversation, and shared energy is what has led me here.
I’m very excited to introduce SOVA — Spaces of Viewed Art.
Through carefully selected exhibitions, shared environments, and intimate showcases, SOVA brings together artists from different mediums and connects them with people who value meaningful, original work.
Some drawings in the house 🤍
This residency has given me space and time to enjoy my practice, without pressure or distraction. It’s allowed me to focus on myself, my surroundings and the lovely women around me.
I’ve always loved drawing things around me, it grounds me and gives me ideas to further my projects. Looking at my works here and work in the past, drawings have shaped my work and are my favourite part of my practice. This feels important to focus on for some time.
Sofia Kristina Bozkurt
Mind, 2022
Acrylic on card
The paper has some imperfections and rates, this is part of the pieces and should be kept in a frame.
My work is often compared to Yves Klein’s Anthropometry paintings, and I can understand why. I’ve always loved his work and deeply respect him as an artist. His vision was radical, poetic, and far ahead of its time. His use of the body as a living brush opened up new ways of thinking about art, performance, and presence.
While Klein’s ideas have definitely influenced me, my practice comes from a more personal and introspective place. For me, using my body as a tool isn’t about performance or spectacle - it’s about grounding, self-awareness, and connection. Each piece grows from movement, breath, and instinct - a way of understanding how I inhabit myself and how that changes over time.
Where Klein explored the body as form and gesture, I’m more drawn to the emotional and sensory experience of being in the body - the quiet, intimate act of marking presence through placement and form.
I’ve wanted to reference Yves Klein for a while, I really admire his work. I mean he created his own blue!?!?!
I’m a self-taught artist, so I’m still learning how to properly reference and acknowledge influences, but his ideas have definitely inspired parts of my process.
Day 1 of our Columbia Road pop up! Can’t wait for tomorrow 🖤
New stock/ paintings added every day! Pop by 128 Columbia Road this weekend - more information in pinned post.
