SONIA JIA · 夕背
Sonia Jia regards her artwork as monumental records, documenting reflections on intimate relationships, traumas, and the experiences and objects brought about by years of living in various regions. Monumental works also emphasize the power of mourning and sorrow. She believes that different traumas create barriers but are also important ways to establish intimate connections between people.
Through various imagined narrations, Sonia Jia attempts to meditate on the complexity of precarious intimacies and heal from her childhood trauma. She believes that intimate relationships are inherently intertwined with conflicts between the urge to tightly rely on one another, based on the vulnerable nature of beings, and the inevitable gulf between individuals created by both the nature of reproduction, the ideology of individualism, and different personal traumas. Under these tensions, intimate relationships often find themselves in precarious stages. However, she believes that these precarious intimacies, which surround us and overcome many difficulties in relationships, have the potential to dissolve the boundaries between beings and construct profound solidarity among individuals.
Sonia’s understanding of intimacies in her art creations is deeply influenced by the book "Precarious Intimacies" written by Maria Stehle and Beverly Weber. In this book, the authors profoundly analyze the visual intimate moments between people as a way to reconstruct solidarity and challenge the regimes of radicalized and gendered exclusion, violence, and economic vulnerability. To further examine the possibilities of this precarious intimacy, Sonia is also inspired by Georges Bataille’s encouragement to pursue non-utile work. She tends to collect those "irrational moments" in her life and transform them into narratives, such as dreaming, indulging, engaging in sexual activities, staring blankly, or even contemplating death. Through these reconstructed memories depicted in her paintings, she aims to create realms where discontinuous beings can genuinely share emotions and eventually reach a stage of continuity.


Education:                         MA Painting 
                                           Royal College of Art (RCA), London, UK
                                           Expected Graduation — August, 2023

                                           Bachelor of Fine Arts,
                                           The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), Chicago, IL, US
                                           Graduation — May, 2022
                                           Merit Scholarship Recipient, SAIC Creative Honors Scholarship


Exhibitions：
 MIART, Milan, Italy - April 2023
• Milan's International Modern and Contemporary Art Fair
Era Gallery, Milan, Italy— Jan, 2023
• Dual Solo Exhibition “Floating”
Thames-side Studios, London, UK— March, 2023
• Group Show “Works on Paper”
Art Maze, London, UK— April, 2022
• Work published in Art Maze Magazine
West Bund Art Center, Shanghai, China— November, 2022
• Annual art fair：The ninth edition of West Bund Art & Design
Povoschicago, Chicago, US— June, 2022
• Group exhibition：“Fables” curated by Luca Colombelli and William Schaeuble
Lanng Space, Beijing, China — September，2021
• 2021 Global Graduation Show: “Remote Landing” curated by Shaofeng Duan
Yellow box Art museum, Qingdao, China — August, 2021
• Group exhibition project: “OPEN EXHIBITION” curated by Qibin Shen
ECM Art Space, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China — August, 2021
• Group exhibition project: “Summer Paradise” curated by Shaohan Cui
571 Art Space, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China — August, 2021
• Group exhibition project: “Will the ceramic panda dream of little frog” curated by Yan Sun，Lillian Ying
Restart Space, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China — March 2021
• Group exhibition project: “Infinite Finiteness” curated by Xi Wang
Cub_ism Art Space, Shanghai, China — March 2021
• Group exhibition project: “Everyday Sphere” curated by Qinru Zhou
Qiantang Bay Art Museum, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China — March 2021
• Group exhibition project: “Reflections” curated by David Chen
Into Studio, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China — July, 2018
• Group exhibition project: “Bang!” curated by Sonia Jia


Awards:
 MIART Nomination, Rotary Club Milano - 2023
•Nominated as "BRERA PER L'ARTE CONTEMPORANEA E I GIOVANIN ARTISTI" in 
International Modern and Contemporary Art Fair in Milan 2023
 Association Sino Francaise D'échange D'art— 2021
•Excellence Award in the “Infinite Finite - International Contemporary Art Exhibition” event
International Independent Film Awards , Film “Her Feather, Her Body”— 2021
•Sound Design/ Editing - Silver Winner
•Best Student Film - Silver Winner
 Paris Film Festival, Film “Her Feather, Her Body”— 2021
•Best LGBTQ - Winner
 New York Movie Awards, Film “Her Feather, Her Body”— 2021
•LGBTQ Film- Honorable Mention
Milan Gold Awards, Film “Her Feather, Her Body”— 2021
•Sound Design - Gold Award•LGBTQ Film- Silver Award
Florence Film Awards, Film “Her Feather, Her Body”— 2021
•LGBTQ Film- Honorable Mention
Hollywood Gold Awards, Film “Her Feather, Her Body”— 2021
•Sound Design - Gold Award•LGBTQ Film - Silver Award
New York International Film Festival, Film “Her Feather, Her Body”— 2021
•Best Sound Design•Best LGBTQ Film
ONIROS Film Awards, Film “Her Feather, Her Body”— 2021
•Best Sound Design •Best LGBTQ Film







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