About/Press

ABOUT

Sophie Kipner is an artist and writer from Topanga, California. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Southern California and currently lives and works in Los Angeles. Following a long-running residency and two consecutive solo shows at Hotel Figueroa, where she was the historic hotel’s featured summer and winter quarter artist (July-Dec ’19), Sophie’s recent exhibitions include her solo show with Arushi Gallery ‘Wish You Were Here’ (May ’22, Los Angeles), two group shows ‘The Hero She Needs’ (Arushi Gallery, October ’22) and ‘The Hourglass Overturned’ (Arushi Gallery, October ’21), and at Art Market Hamptons (Arushi Gallery Booth, August ’22, New York). In 2020, she was commissioned by Michelin-star chef David Myers to hand-paint the mural at his pop-up restaurant, Adrift Burger Bar, on Abbot Kinney Blvd in Venice, California. Most recently, on April 3, 2023, Sophie showed three commissioned works at the renowned Park Hyatt Tokyo for the launch of Xander Soren Wines in Japan. 

Sophie primarily uses blind contouring, the technique of not lifting the pen or looking at the canvas to initially sketch her subjects and scenes. Once that fundamental layer is done, she builds her pieces using layers of charcoal, acrylic, pastels and other mediums to bring that line work to life. Works from her ongoing series, which premiered in September ’15, have been sold into private collections and commercial properties around the world, have been featured on various television shows, and auctioned off at UCLA’s 2018 IoES (Institute of the Environment and Sustainability) Gala and at Help Refugees, which was launched in partnership with artist Ai WeiWei, Paddle8, and The Cob Gallery in London. Sophie's work has been featured in Forbes Magazine, KCRW, KTLA, Huffington Post, Architectural Digest, L.A. Weekly, NBC, Thrillist, The Fullest, Cinnamon Magazine, Hemispheres Magazine, Los Angeles Magazine, Conde Nast’s The Scene, Eat, Sleep, Draw, JustLuxe, Arte Fuse, The Topanga New Times, Culture Collective (the editorial arm of London’s House Collective), Flaunt Magazine and Art Now LA.

Sophie is also one of the two starring subjects in the Oscar-shortlisted short documentary, “Sophie and The Baron”, which chronicles Sophie’s friendship and artistic collaboration with legendary Rolling Stone Magazine photographer Baron Wolman. The award-winning film, directed by Alexandria Jackson and produced by Courteney Cox, Alexandria Jackson, and Joanna Natasegara, premiered at SXSW Film Festival and has been featured in Rolling Stone Magazine, Deadline, The Daily Mail, The Evening Standard, The Moveable Feast, Austin Chronicle, HorrorBuzz, and The Hollywood Reporter. The film has been acquired by Disney as their first original documentary, the first film under their new original documentaries banner, and will soon be premiering on Disney Plus.

Her debut novel, The Optimist (named a “Best Summer Read” by The Daily Mail and recently optioned for film and television), was originally published by Unbound in the UK in 2017, and later in the US and in Canada on March 30, 2021. Sophie also hosted Channel 101’s long-running prime-time show, Everything, which was chosen as a Vimeo Staff Pick and featured on NPR’s All Things Considered. 

ソフィー・キプナーは、ロサンゼルスを拠点に活動するヴィジュアル・アーティストです。

現在も継続するそのプロジェクトは、「ドントリフトアップドントルックダウン」と呼ばれるもので、主に ブラインド・コントアーの技法(ペンを持ち上げたり、キャンヴァスを見たりせずに対象を描くもの)を 用いて制作されています。

作品はこれまで『フォーブス』誌、『アーキテクチュアル・ダイジェスト』誌、『LAウイークリー』紙、NBC 局、『ロサンゼルス』誌、コンデ・ナスト社の媒体などで取り上げられました。

キプナー作品の著名コレクターとしては、ジム・キャリー、ドウェイン“ザ・ロック”ジョンソン、ジョシュ・ ブローリン、ナターシャ・ベンディングフィールド、ブレイク・グリフィン、リック・アストリー、オリヴィア・ ニュートン=ジョンなどがいます。 キプナーは、『ソフィーと男爵』という短編ドキュメンタリーの主人公の一人です。 この短編は、コートニー・コックスとオスカー受賞プロデューサーであるジョアンナ・ナタセガラが製 作し、アレクサンドリア・ジャクソンが監督しました。SXSW映画祭で初公開され、まもなくストリーミ ングサービス「ディズニー+」で放映される予定です。

ザンダー・ソーレン・ワインズの発売を支援し、ふたりの長い友情を祝うために、キプナーは3枚の絵 画を新たに生み出しました。

インスピレーションを与えたのは、京都の地で、懐石料理にザンダー・ソーレンのピノ・ノワールを合 わせ、最後は芸舞妓による日本舞踊と三味線の演奏によって締めくくられた夕餉です。

ソーレンのワインと同じく、キプナーの作品には、日本文化への憧れと結びついたカリフォルニアの 味が込められています。