Sophia Loeb’s bold compositions raise awareness of humankind's exceptionalism and our mistreatment of the natural world. In her work, she advocates for harmony within the universal system, a space predicated upon a philosophy of oneness where the land is unimpacted by manmade destruction. Informed by her early childhood in Brazil, at the core of her work is a meditative study of the natural order and the interconnectedness of all universal systems. She affirms the inseparable connection between all beings as equals: ‘creature as landscape, landscape as creature’. Through paintings on varied monumental and intimate scales, Loeb draws inspiration from both our internal biological forms and the epic natural formations we live alongside. She asks us to question our anthropocentric attitudes and our methods of earthly existence.
From the heightened sensory experience of her own meditation practice, Loeb’s painting materialises sensation, be it internal – our thoughts and feelings, for example – or external – our perception of other life and environments. Suggestive of organic and biomorphic forms, Loeb’s sculptures appear to grow, slink, and unfurl through space. In ceramic tendrils, her sculptures address Brazilian tropical phenomena as they do the sensory processes of the human body. She transfers her sculptural approach to her paintings, working both horizontally and vertically, constantly turning the canvas as she works. In her painting, Loeb evokes streams and pools of colour through layered gestural brushstrokes. Making use of unconventional tools, as well as applying loose pigment and oil stick with her hands, her painting is driven by instinct. Between frenetic gesture and compositional restraint, Loeb’s practice embraces the expansive freedom of organic movement alongside the measured awareness of meditation.