I’ve never been very good at staying in one lane.
Not in life.
Not in art.
I paint.
I build.
I dismantle.
I give old things a second chance.
Sometimes it’s canvas.
Sometimes old sheet music.
Sometimes wood, windows, mannequin hands —
or whatever refuses to be thrown away.
I paint people who don’t always behave.
Bodies trying to stand.
Faces that hold two opinions at once.
I like it when things shift.
When a painting can be turned upside down.
When colour refuses to be polite.
Perfection is overrated.
Presence is better.
And if something wobbles a little,
I usually let it.
— Sof
Artistic Education & Background
1987–1989 Literature and History, Lycée Henri IV / Sorbonne University, Paris, France.
1989–1993 Business Studies (Diploma), Université Paris-Dauphine, Paris, France.
Alongside these studies: painting and drawing with Prof. R. Leprince at ESAG Penninghen, Paris; guest studies at the Académie des Beaux-Arts, Paris.
Artist Statement
I search for meaning in all directions — and often, I laugh along the way.
Perhaps I will feel satisfied once I have discovered every side of myself. I am not there yet.
My work moves between painting, assemblage and upcycling. Figures emerge from flowing paint, old sheet music becomes a meeting place for new characters, and paintings can be rotated to reveal another reading.
Discarded objects draw me in: old keys, pieces of metal, wood, windows and mannequin parts. I turn them into faces, figures and unexpected constructions. Their marks of use remain visible, carrying something of their former lives into a new story. Humour is part of this process, alongside a curiosity about what we throw away — and what we might still discover in it.
It begins with attention: to what is seen, what is overlooked and what quietly escapes.
To see, not to see.
To feel — sometimes too much, sometimes not enough.
I am less interested in control than in bringing materials, techniques, tensions and contradictions together. Accidents are not mistakes — at worst, they are quiet collaborators.
Some days, everything feels empty. On others, everything overflows. In between, I work.“In alle Richtungen” — in all directions — is how I describe this approach: following my curiosity, shifting perspectives and leaving room for things to become something I had not anticipated.
— Sof
Solo Exhibitions (selection)
2026
Open studio exhibitions as part of Südgang, Atelier Sof, Krefeld
Krefeld-Hüls studio trail, Atelier Sof, Krefeld
2025
Opening of the Sof Showroom, Atelier Sof, Krefeld
2024
Heute gehe ich zu Sof!, Atelier Sof, Krefeld
Sof im Schirrhof, Kamp-Lintfort
2023
Ein Wiedersehen in Lübz, Lübz
Upcycling à la Sof, VKU Forum, Berlin
2022
Sof im ZZK, “En marche!” Upcycling Art Prize, Lübz
Upcycling works, VKU Forum, Berlin
Sof, Bild und Skulptur, Galerie ArtKonform, Krefeld
2019
Sof chez D000, Galerie D000, Krefeld
2018
À quoi bon toujours chercher un sens ?, Kultur Köln 30, Cologne
2017
C’est parti!, Hessing Stiftung, Augsburg
2016
Sof… tout court, Sparkasse Saarbrücken
2015
Sof im KVNO, Düsseldorf
Sof, in alle Richtungen, Higher Regional Court, Düsseldorf
2012
Tête à tête en tête, Cabinet Bizouard et associés, Meaux, France — with exhibition catalogue
2009
L’homme dans tous ses états, Dürener Tor
Group Exhibitions (selection)
2025
Das kleine Format – Alles geht…, Malkasten, Düsseldorf
2024
Das kleine Format – Countdown, Malkasten, Düsseldorf
2021
Das kleine Format – Transparenz, Malkasten, Düsseldorf
2016
STR’OFF #3 – Am Ende der Sinne!, ST-ART fringe programme, Association EuropARTvision, Strasbourg, France
Begegnungen, Galerie Heidefeld & Partner, Krefeld
2013
Full House, Galerie Heidefeld & Partner, Krefeld
2012
Das kleine Format – Weltuntergang, Malkasten, Düsseldorf
2009
Kunsttage Rhein-Erft, Brauweiler Abbey
2008
Das kleine Format – Ohne die Seerosen…, Malkasten, Düsseldorf
2007
Das kleine Format – Honig ist richtig, Malkasten, Düsseldorf
1998
Beziehungen II, Thyssen Trade Center, Düsseldorf
1995
Kunst Markt Moers ’95, Forum Eurotec-Center
Awards, Residencies & Projects
2023
“En marche!” Upcycling Residency, Lübz
2022
Audience Award, “En marche!” Upcycling Art Prize, Berlin — followed by an upcycling residency in Lübz
2021
Transphere Artist Grant, France — interdisciplinary project with P. Mira (piano) and P. Barry (VJing)
Upcycling II Artist Grant, Ministry of Culture and Science of North Rhine-Westphalia (MKW NRW)
2020
Upcycling I Artist Grant, Ministry of Culture and Science of North Rhine-Westphalia (MKW NRW)
Publications
2016
Sof… tout court, catalogue, Sparkasse Saarbrücken
2014
100 Künstler – 100 Kacheln, Aachen
2013
MPK-Sammlung, Volume II
2012
Malerei – Tête-à-tête en tête, catalogue, Cabinet Bizouard, France
Online Presence
Singulart . Artmajeur . ArtFacts
