Sophie Kovel is an artist and writer whose work examines the economic, social, aesthetic, and ideological operations of ethnonationalism. Selected exhibitions include Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Denmark; Jenkins Johnson Gallery, New York; University of California, Los Angeles; NEON, Athens; White Noise, Seoul; and Petrine, Paris. Kovel has spoken on panels and symposiums at universities and institutions including Columbia University and the Brooklyn Public Library. Their interviews and criticism have been published in Artforum, BOMB, Frieze, Spike, Jeu de Paume Magazine, and elsewhere. Kovel is a graduate from Columbia University’s MFA in New Genres, where they were awarded the Agnes Martin and Andrew Fisher Fellowships, and were a 2022–2023 studio fellow in the Whitney Independent Study Program.
sophiekovel@gmail.com
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Education
Whitney Independent Study Program, New York, NY
MFA, New Genres, Columbia University, New York, NY
BA, Barnard College, Columbia University, New York, NY
Upcoming
Space of Togetherness, NEON, Athens
Solo Exhibitions
2023 The Diplomatic Reception Room, Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris
2023 Paris Internationale, October 2023
2023 A Long Duration of Losses, Petrine, Paris
Group Exhibitions
2024 Refindable Places
Petrine, Paris
2023 No Necessary Correspondence
Independent Study Program, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY
2023 Heaven is a Different Thing
UncleBrother, New York, NY
2022 Figural Realism, curated by Meleko Mokgosi
Jenkins Johnson Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2022 UCLA New Wight Biennial
Broad Art Center, Los Angeles, CA
2022 Columbia MFA Thesis Exhibition, curated by Elisabeth Sherman
Lenfest Center for the Arts, New York, NY
2022 In Response, curated by Chris Gartrell and Jenna Weiss
The Jewish Museum, New York, NY
2021 Higher Power, curated by K.O. Nnamdie
70 Hester Street, New York, NY
2021 Kleinanzeigen / GARAGE SALE, curated by Maximilian Schmoetzer
VERY Project Space, Berlin, Germany
2021 Columbia First Year MFA Exhibition, curated by Regine Basha
Lenfest Center for the Arts, New York, NY
2021 The Spring Exhibition
Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Copenhagen, Denmark
Artist Talks, Screenings, & Presentations
2023 Organizer and moderator, Panel discussion with KJ Abudu, Nacira Guénif-Souilamas,
and Léopold Lambert, Petrine, Paris
2023 Artist Talk, Banard College, Columbia University, New York, NY
2022 3450–3660 21st Street, Jewish Museum, New York, NY
2019 Artcritical, Panel on the 2019 Whitney Biennial, Brooklyn Public Library, Brooklyn, NY
Grants, Awards, & Residencies
2022 Drawing A Blank Fellowship, London, UK
2021–22 Agnes Martin Fellowship, Columbia University
2021–22 Andrew Fisher Fellowship, Columbia University
2021–22 Visual Arts Program Fellowship, Columbia University
2020 Artist Residency, Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, VT
2020 Artist Residency, School for Poetic Computation, New York, NY
2017 Weatherhead East Asian Institute Fellowship, Columbia University
Selected Publications & Published Work
2021 Shana Moulton: To Be Continued, Spike Magazine (Issue #67)
2020 Bouchra Khalili: The Radical Ally, BOMB Magazine (Issue #151)
2019 What Drifts Ashore: Ellie Ga interviewed by Sophie Kovel, BOMB Magazine
2019 John Giorno: DO THE UNDONE, Sperone Westwater, Brooklyn Rail
2019 Mrinalini Mukherjee: Phenomenal Nature, Met Breuer, Frieze (Issue #205)
2019 Minerva Cuevas: Disidencia, Mishkin Gallery, Baruch College (CUNY), Artforum
2019 Kawita Vatanajyankur: Foul Play, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Artforum
2019 Chim↑Pom: Threat of Peace (Hiroshima!!!!!!), Art in General, Artforum
2019 Tanya Goel: This, the Sublime and its Double, Nature Morte, Artforum
2019 Eric N. Mack: Lemme walk across the room, Brooklyn Museum of Art, Brooklyn Rail
2019 Barbara Ess: Someone to Watch Over Me, Magenta Plains, Artforum
2019 Tschabalala Self: Bodega Run, Hammer Museum, Artforum
2019 Klara Lidén: Grounding, Reena Spaulings Fine Art, Artforum
2018 Steve Locke: Family Pictures, yours mine & ours, Artforum
2017 “Cross my heart” (Translation of Chris Marker’s “Croix de bois et chemin de fer,” Esprit, Jan. 1951)
2017 “It was a strange thing” (Translation of Chris Marker’s text from the French edition booklet of La Jetée – Sans Soleil)
Bibliography
Kovel, Sophie. “Attack Philanthropy.” F Magazine, May 2024, pp. 6–8.
Kovel, Sophie, Léopold Lambert, KJ Abudu, and Nacira Guénif-Souilamas. “Haunted Architectures” (« Architectures hantées ») PALM: Jeu de Paume Magazine, in “Histoires d’objets. Restituer, reproduire, reprendre,” July 2023.
https://jeudepaume.org/en/palm/haunted-architectures-colonial-continuum/.
https://jeudepaume.org/palm/architectures-hantees-continuum-colonial/.
Kovel, Sophie, Léopold Lambert, KJ Abudu, and Nacira Guénif-Souilamas. “Ghosts of Colonial Modernity”
(« Fantômes de la modernité coloniale »). PALM: Jeu de Paume Magazine, in “Histoires d’objets. Restituer, reproduire, reprendre,” April 6, 2023.
https://jeudepaume.org/en/palm/ghosts-of-colonial-modernity/.
https://jeudepaume.org/palm/fantomes-de-la-modernite-coloniale/.
Levin, Max. “Jonas Mekas: The Camera Was Always Running.” Screen Slate, 17 May 2022
https://www.screenslate.com/articles/jonas-mekas-camera-was-always-running
Kotecha, Shiv. “Outliving Birds.” Interlude Docs, 24 Dec 2021
https://interludedocs.com/2021/10/doc-044-shiv-kotecha/
Professional and Teaching Experience
2021–Present Assistant Editor, BOMB Magazine, Brooklyn, NY
2022–Present Visiting Artist, Barnard College, Columbia University, New York, NY
2021–2022 Visiting Critic, Artist Alliance Inc., New York, NY
2022 Co-founder (with Robert Rubsam), Interval Reading Series, New York, NY
2022 Visiting Artist, Sculpture II, B. Ami Rivlin, Columbia University, Teacher’s College, New York, NY
2021 Teaching Assistant, Making without Objects, R. Tiravanija, Columbia University, New York, NY
2021 Teaching Assistant, Video I, S. Silver, Columbia University, New York, NY
2018–2021 Freelance critic at Artforum, The Brooklyn Rail, Frieze, and other publications
2018–2020 Exhibition research and publication support for the Museum of Modern Art,
the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and other institutions
2016–2018 Teaching Artist, Creative Growth Art Center, Oakland, CA