Sofie Cottingham
Untitled (Espacio) 2012; detail
The implications of such an iron clad wedding of object to its environment are multiple: they presuppose the reduction of the object itself to its lowest point of visibility, the denial of the uniqueness of the object as such…
(Carl Andre, 1970)
Centred on drawing, Sofie’s practice has evolved from an inquisition towards different spaces and the dynamic interplay between them. These ideas have developed throughout the Art Psychotherapy MA, drawing upon psychoanalytic writing concerning the formation of the self as a distinct space from that surrounding it, and how the confusion of these spaces affects relations with the outside world.
This ambiguity of spaces is embodied within Sofie’s current body of work; these lines are both integrated with and respond to their surrounding space, seeking to explore the possibility of a form that can hold a sense of separate components having merged. The viewer’s response forms an intrinsic part of the work; the intricate and fragile nature of the line embroils others into a physical engagement with the space that mirrors the process by which it was made.