Bio
Sophia Angbao (b.1998, Indianapolis. IN) is a biracial afrodescendant mixed media sculpture artist currently based in Canada.
Her work explores mental health, femmehood, belonging and intimate narratives formed by the complex layerings of intersectionality that she experiences as a woman of color in a white western patriarchal society.
From 2017 to 2019, she studied sculpture and ceramics at Herron School of Art and Design. She then earned her diploma in textile design at the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design in 2023. Since 2019, Sophia has participated in various group exhibitions, residencies and art markets in the US, Canada and Europe. She has also offered workshops across these lands, and finds joy in teaching others the freedom of creativity. From November to December of 2026, she was the artist in residence at the Centre des arts et de la culture in Dieppe, New Brunswick where she worked on a new series of ceramic sculptures and organized public events to interact with the community.
Statement
My work is a comforting, vulnerable, spontaneous response to my lived experiences as a woman of color in a white western patriarchal society.
I use insects, sea creatures and flowers as metaphorical symbols to explore themes of humor, vulnerability and resilience. These gestures are intertwined with reflections of giving grace and nurturing past experiences, all the while acknowledging the complexities of navigating the world as a mixed race afrodescendant woman. My autobiographical works often respond to moments when I feel misunderstood and long for deeper connection. These feelings are then transformed into warm inviting forms that embody self expression and care.
My sculptures are composed in ceramics and textiles – materials that are, in raw form, both very malleable. However, when clay is fired it can no longer be adjusted or manipulated. This tension between soft ever changing fibres and hard vitrified clay is central to my aesthetic and conceptual research, mirroring my acceptance of change and adaptability in life.
CV
Sophia Angbao
Born in 1998 in Indiana, United States
Resides and works in New Brunswick, Canada
Education:
[2021- 2023]: Textile Design, New Brunswick College of Craft and Design, Canada
[2017- 2019]: Sculpture/Ceramics, Herron School of Art and Design, United States
Selected exhibitions:
[2026] Hi There, Centre des arts et de la culture de Dieppe, Dieppe, Canada
[2026] Preshrunk, Argyle Fine Art, Halifax, Canada
[2025] Cabinet of Curiosities, Bright & Brine Fine Art Gallery, Moncton, Canada
[2025] Esperanza Art Gallery, Factory Arts District, Indianapolis, U.S
[2025] Preshrunk, Argyle Fine Art, Halifax, Canada
[2024] USINE 106U, Montreal, Canada
[2023] And It’s Just Because I Love You, Montreal, Canada
[2023] Members show, Dieppe Cultural Centre, Dieppe, Canada
[2023] FLOURISH Festival, Fredericton, Canada
[2023] NBCCD Diploma Exhibition, BeaverBrook Art Gallery, Fredericton, Canada
[2023] Black Lives Matter NB, BLMN Brunswick, Saint John, Canada
[2022] FLOURISH Festival, Fredericton, Canada
[2020] The Illustrated Accordion, Kalamazoo Book Arts Center, Indianapolis, U.S
[2019] Reflected Light, Hendricks County Arts Council, Indianapolis, U.S
[2019] Hoosier Women in Art, Garfield Park Arts Center,Indianapolis, U.S
Grants/awards/residencies:
[2025-2026] Artist in Residence, Centre des arts et de la culture de Dieppe, Dieppe, Canada
[2023] And It’s Just Because I Love You, Eastern Bloc, Montreal, Canada
[2022] Breaking Out, Fredericton Arts Alliance, Fredericton, Canada
[2022] Summer Residency, New Brunswick College of Craft and Design, Fredericton, Canada
Collections:
BLMN Brunswick, Saint John, New Brunswick
Black Lives Matter NB Permanent Collection, Saint John, Canada
Email:
sophiaangbaoartist@gmail.com