sofia.barton

Sofia Barton is a multidisciplinary artist known for her exploration of building bridges through her social arts practice. Exploring identity and heritage; she fosters connections in her work engaging with marginalised groups.

Barton’s diverse body of work is committed to weaving cultural threads through archival research and exploration of hidden histories. Her approach to investigating themes such as heritage and wellbeing in carefully designed workshops are accessible. With roots in photography, her practice demonstrates a fidelity to no single artistic modality or creative process. Her interdisciplinary pursuits that are in constant, active flux. Her evolving, embodied approach to art making is emblematic of the plurality of experiences and the myriad ways in which identity is constructed in contemporary culture.

Her name means ‘pure of heart’ in Arabic. She was raised by her parents in Benwell, in Newcastle and became a young carer for her disabled father from the age of eight. She found early inspiration with Pakistani folklore and her grandads matchbox collection from India. Sofia, a graduate of Edinburgh Napier University with a degree in Photography and Film, began her career at BBC Scotland in 2012. Following health challenges, she relocated to Newcastle upon Tyne. Embracing motherhood, she embarked on a journey of artistic creation.

Sofia is a gender equality activist and understands the intersectionality of ecological, racial, cultural, political and personal collisions experienced by people from the global south.