Miguel Sopena

Miguel Sopena is an artist and photographer originally from València, Spain, but now based in Croydon, South London.

Miguel felt the pull of art as he prepared to complete his doctorate in theoretical Physics at Sussex University in Southern England. The realisation that he did not want to pursue a career in research threw Miguel into a bit of an existential crisis. By coincidence (or perhaps not), Miguel started drawing and painting, and soon knew he had found his vocation. Miguel combined finishing his PhD with a 2-year part-time (and very hands-on) Art and Design Foundation programme, then completed a 2-year, skills-based portraiture diploma at the Heatherley School of Fine Art in London, where he learnt in depth about traditional oil painting and the human figure.

An eclectic and highly experimental artist, Miguel started working in an abstract language soon after graduation. At the moment, Miguel's painting practice is mainly abstract, exploring themes of memory, identity, and the passage of time, with special attention to composition, colour, and the expressive possibilities of the materials he works with.

Miguel has established a solid track record of exhibiting his work and participating in international residences (in ...

The Heatherley School of Fine Art Diploma in Portraiture, 2013-2015
City College Brighton and Hove, BTEC Foundation Diploma in Art and Design level 3, 2013
DPhil in Theoretical and Particle Physics, Sussex University, 2013

Solo Exhibitions

2022 Starry Night, The Stone Space, Leytonstone, London
2018 Sing, O Goddess, the Wrath, Tasarım Bakkalı, Istanbul
2018 A Tale of Two Cities, Matthews Yard, Croydon, London
2014 Form and Movement, part of Islington Exhibits festival, Islington, London

Group Exhibitions

2024 The Shape of Things to Come, with ArtCan, Gallery 475, London
2024 Layers, with flos collective and Paper&Clay, The Steamship project space, London
2024 Second Floor Studios and Arts Drawing Open 2024, no format gallery, London
2024 Masal mı? Gerçek mi? (Tale or Truth?)⁠, Istanbul Concept Gallery, Istanbul
2024 Solastalgia, Turf Projects, London
2023 Derelict, with the Uncovered Collective, The Safehouse, Peckham, London
2023 Creative Croydon street art exhibition, Croydon, London
2023 English Riviera Winter Exhibition 2023, Artizan Gallery, Torquay
2023 Fronteer Gallery Open Exhibition 2023, Fronteer Art, Sheffield
2023 Sculpture Lounge Summer Show 2023, The Sculpture Lounge, Holmfirth
2023 Spring Decorative Fair 2023, Evolution London, with Catharine Miller Art
2023 Second Floor Studios and Arts Drawing Open 2023, no format gallery, London
2022 Front Garden, Turf Projects, London
2022 Second Floor Studios and Arts Painting Open 2022, ...