Sophia Bounou (b. 2002) has become a well-recognized face on the modeling scene, but recently has burst into the art world with her dazzling paintings that tap everything from art history and fashion to her French Moroccan heritage and lived experiences. Featuring intricate compositions that leverage the nuances of color and line, Bounou’s work inspire prolonged looking, tracing the interweaving elements that, together, craft narratives both real and fantastical.

Recently, Bounou joined the roster of Blond Contemporary, London, and will make her official debut with the gallery at Volta New York this September 4–8, 2024. “Volta is designed to be a source of the world’s best emerging artists, and in Sophia we have a truly exciting and visionary new American talent,” said Director Phillip Bond. “This fair and this presentation will launch her and her work in New York—the centre of the contemporary art world.”

Ahead of the presentation, we reached out to Bounou to learn more about the evolution of her practice and how straddling the fashion and art scenes shows up in her work.

Sophia Bounou. Courtesy of Blond Contemporary.

As you recently joined Blond Contemporary, what has the experience been like working with a new gallery? Has it changed or expanded your approach to art making in any way?

Working with Blond Contemporary has been wonderful! We began with Zoom calls to discuss my practice and approach, and we worked together to prepare a successful booth at the Hamptons Fine Art Fair in early July. As much as I have a very independent spirit, it’s extremely beneficial to get feedback and input from others. Working with Phillip has taught me so much about art—its history and the world surrounding it—that I wouldn’t have otherwise known this early in my career. My work has rapidly grown, and my personal style has as a result become more apparent in recent works. I’ve also been able to show my work and vision to the public, which has given me incredibly thoughtful feedback that has gone into making my newest collection.

Sophia Bounou with her work at Hamptons Fine Art Fair, Southhampton, NY. Courtesy of Blond Contemporary, London.

Earlier this year, you made your exhibition debut with Blond Contemporary in the Hamptons. Can you tell us a bit about the work that went on view and any themes or inspirations behind it?

Absolutely! We displayed two works at a time, and pulled out more from the storage room when buyers were interested in seeing different color palettes or sizes. I’ve been developing this art style since about 2021; prior to that, it was mainly graphic doodles, or a single character as the focus. When Phillip found me through social media and decided to sign me, we had meetings every few weeks to develop my work. He saw my work as cosmological and about relationships and distinction and wanted to see a broader format to better reflect that. I think that approach has really helped my work develop and find an audience. The recurring themes in my work are community, identity, emotion, and rhythm. I always find it difficult to articulate the inspiration behind my work because my mind truly goes blank when I paint, my work is more of a driving intuition than a prior concept of what I need to paint. I love to have different characters all over the canvas with different emotes displaying actions or using instruments as it adds a sense of depth to these characters, as if they all have their own unique stories that are desperate to be told.

Sophia Bounou, On the Road (2023). Courtesy of Blond Contemporary, London.

Next month, Blond Contemporary will present your new works at Volta, New York. Can you give us some insight into these new works and what visitors might expect?

This will be my official artistic debut, so Phillip and I worked very closely to hone my unique painting style. We are very excited to display the monochromatic paintings, one in yellow, green, blue, and a neutral brown tone, as well as a few others! Arguably, the color allows the figures to communicate as a whole, whereas my black and white works focus more on the particularity of each part, and the world requires both part and whole of course. I can’t wait to hear what the feedback is from viewers at Volta!

In addition to being an artist you are also a model; do you find your experience in one field influencing the other?

I’ve been a creative soul since I was young, wanting to create no matter what the format or material was. Be that sewing, or painting, editing videos, or crafting new food recipes, I always found intrinsic motivation to produce. Before I began modeling, I would watch fashion shows with my mother and eventually became fascinated by the craftsmanship and the fashion aspect. Later, when I got signed, being able to live that creative lifestyle and work with talented designers and stylists was truly a full circle moment. I think because of my background as an artist first, I have a greater appreciation for the artistry behind the final photoshoots. Meeting other creatives on set, like hair and makeup artists, photographers, stylists, and designers, is very fulfilling as I get to work with like-minded people in the industry. I think art permeates all forms of human life and action and, in a way, that’s the world I situate myself in.

Sophia Bounou, Mother (2024). Courtesy of Blond Contemporary, London.

When creating new work, how would you describe your technical process? Is it more intuitive and organic or do you prefer planning everything out before executing?

It’s truly all spontaneous: the characters, the shapes, the background details, and the pattern work. The only thing that I somewhat plan are the color palettes. Even then, sometimes after I see the colors on the canvas, I will tweak certain tones if it doesn’t work. When drawing characters, I usually have a pattern I will follow; I draw the head or body shapes, followed by eyes, followed by drawing some sort of nose, and connecting that to a mouth. Lastly, I’ll add facial details, like hollow cheeks, ears, eyelashes, and occasionally eyebrows. That being said, the way I paint has a force of its own—very little is prefigured. My painting method has been described as “captivating” because nobody ever quite knows what I’ll put down next (including me, haha!).

Where do you frequently look to for inspiration? Are there any movements or artists—contemporary or historical—that you would cite as influential to your practice?

I believe it comes to me naturally. Growing up, most of my influences were from the artists my mother would show to me, like Picasso and Modigliani, Joan Miró and so on. I was always fascinated by abstracted figures and the way that abstraction was often truer to their psychological state than realism might paint (George Condo being a good contemporary example). As much as I tried to draw realistically, it never stuck. So, I followed through with what felt most natural to me—weird characters with long winding arms, huge eyes, and morphing bodies, reaching out to others to understand themselves. The more I learn about art, the more I can both associate and recognize certain movements within my style. Abstract impressionism, Cubism, and Fauvism, being a few examples. I think my biggest inspiration is truly just living and trying to understand the miracle of existing in the first place, and recognizing other minds that are similarly situated. When I paint there isn’t too much of a plan, I just create, my mind goes blank, and I let my hands guide me.

Sophia Bounou, Gold Coast (2024). Courtesy of Blond Contemporary, London.

What do you want the viewing experience of your work to be like? What do you hope viewers take away with them?

I’d like to leave my viewers with a sense of imagination and wonder. I like the viewer’s focus to be drawn around the canvas, as I make an effort to not leave much negative space. When I first displayed my work and asked the fair attendees what they enjoyed seeing in my paintings, many responded, “I could look at it for hours,” or similar. I enjoy making characters and actions that can be interpreted differently by each viewer. I would hope that when someone buys a painting, they buy into a story with characters, settings, and scenes that they can relate to, and develop on their own. The scenes having so much abstraction and small details to be discovered allows for the viewer to create their own narrative. Art in the end is a form of communication and that always requires a response.

Blond Contemporary will present new works by Sophia Bounou at Volta, New York, Booth 28, September 4–8, 2024.