Sophia svena
I am a conceptual multimedia artist with a background in Design, originally based in Canada. My creative background has developed through both formal design education and independent artistic practice, with experience across sculpture, installation, experimental materials, and animal preservation. I have also lived abroad in England, including spending significant time in London, where I pursued my art independently and became increasingly interested in contemporary exhibition spaces, alternative art scenes, and large-scale installation practices.
Living abroad has strongly influenced the direction of my work and encouraged me to develop a practice that can exist internationally rather than being tied to one location. My experience in design has provided a foundation in visual communication, research, conceptual development, and presentation, while my independent practice has allowed me to develop a more unconventional artistic identity. I am currently focused on expanding my body of work, building relationships within the international art community, and pursuing opportunities to exhibit my work in Canada, the US, and internationally.
SELECTED works
Artist Statement
My artistic practice explores the relationship between beauty, mortality, and transformation. I work primarily as a conceptual multimedia artist, using sculpture, installation, animal remains, skeletal forms, and experimental materials to create work that confronts the viewer with subjects that are often considered uncomfortable or disturbing. Rather than presenting death purely as something grotesque, I am interested in finding beauty within it and transforming remains into objects that demand attention.
A major focus of my practice is animal preservation and the use of bones, skulls, and skeletons. I experiment with preservation techniques, surface treatments, black finishes, varnishes, crystallization, molds, and replicas while developing the skills and resources necessary to produce increasingly ambitious works. The contrast between organic remains and highly controlled presentation is important to my visual language. Black skeletal forms are often placed within clean, minimal environments, allowing the specimen itself to become monumental and sculptural.
My concepts frequently begin with contradictions: beauty and violence, vulnerability and power, possession and loss, life and death. I am also interested in hunting and the relationship between the individual who seeks an animal, the physical act of obtaining it, and what remains afterward. Rather than hiding this process, I want my work to acknowledge it.
My practice continues to expand toward large-scale installations involving multiple specimens, reconstructed skeletal creatures, and immersive environments. Ultimately, I want to challenge conventional ideas of preservation and encourage viewers to
