Euphoria Exhibition - October 2024
Euphoria Exhibition Artist Statement
Sophie Evans is a Meanjin/Brisbane-based artist whose work examines the intersection of feminism, identity and personal narrative, focusing on fragmentation, the body and mental health. Rooted in her experiences as a queer woman, Evans challenges society’s unceasing scrutiny of female and queer bodies, using painting as her medium to confront and reclaim these narratives.
In this exhibition, Evans explores the isolating experience of body dysmorphia, where perceived flaws - real or imagined - dominate self-perception. Those affected often fixate on their appearance, distancing themselves from their bodies and avoiding social interactions or photographs, which serve to capture and confront their physical reality at any given moment.
This exhibition reflects this deeply felt experience of body dysmorphia within female and queer communities, where intense societal pressure distorts one's perception of their own body. “Media-driven ideals of the ‘perfect’ body shift constantly, shaping what is deemed acceptable. Personally, I have grappled with this throughout my life - regardless of my size or shape, I’ve struggled to find love in my reflection. This sentiment is echoed by the models I’ve painted.” Each work captures a moment of self-reclamation, resisting the gaze that confines the body to a fixed object. Instead, her paintings embrace the body as a fluid, ever-evolving expression of the self.
The exhibition creates a space where deeply personal experiences can be shared, fostering a sense of community and acceptance through our shared collective trauma. Each artwork reflects the openness of individuals who have shared their stories, revealing the complexities of body image, vulnerability and self-perception. The reference photos used for these works are over a year old, and while certain details, like tattoos, may be different, this reflects the core idea that the body is not a static object to be categorised or scrutinised. Instead, the body is an ever-changing, evolving vessel, impossible to fully capture through any singular, fixed moment.
Evans hopes that through this exhibition, you will begin to see your own body as more than an object for external gaze—a living, evolving expression of self, deserving of understanding, compassion and care.
Sophie Evans
Eliza 2024
Acrylic on Canvas, 51cm x 77cm
Eliza (she/they) has shared the words below:
I've had a conflicting relationship in my past teenage years. I struggle with my weight and self acceptance. I have gone to the doctors for various issues just to be told “ if you lost weight this would go away” “this is a byproduct of your heavy stature”. As someone who has always struggled with eating disorders, this flipped the script from binge eating and purging; to bulimia and starvation. I think back to that young woman inside of me and still cry for her. I don’t feel proud of my socially acceptable weight now, I don’t really talk about it because I don’t want others to be inspired by me in that way. I think about the years I've shaved off my l life expectancy and my damaged organs. or how I could never watch someone I love do that “has my own view of my body affected the people I love around me, and the way they see themselves?”
Since my diagnosis with turner’s syndrome it’s shifted my body dysmorphia into questioning how feminine I present to others. I would look at other women’s breasts and notice obvious differences. My diagnosis allowed me to understand why I felt I looked so different, I was intersex. My healing moment came from nude photograph shoots with my friends. seeing women of all kinds nude in nature, soaking in the sun in the creek streams. It made me realise how superficially we see nude bodies. as some type of taboo instead of a moment to heal and bond with other people trying to accept their bodies as well.
I've learnt to make peace with my body and appearance. it’s not perfect, but it’s mine. It's what makes me human. It's the details that are loved so deeply. my body allows me to dream of possibilities. achieve my goals, help my community and love and those close to me. What more could I want?
Sophie Evans
Lily 2024
Acrylic on Canvas, 51cm x 61cm
Lily (they/them) has shared the words below:
I see my body as a vessel for living. It’s what allows me to navigate the world, to dance with abandon, to embrace those I cherish, and to experience the full spectrum of emotions—from pain to love to curiosity. My body is my conduit for life, and through it, I encounter every sensation that life has to offer.
Body dysmorphia has been a persistent challenge for me, shaped by societal expectations and my own sensitivities as a non-binary and neurodiverse person. The discomfort I feel with my body can vary daily, influenced by everything from the feel of clothing to the perception of my muscles. To address this, I’ve turned to tattoos as a form of self-expression and reclamation—transforming my skin into a canvas that reflects my personal control and autonomy. While the struggle is ongoing, each day brings progress towards a more accepting and nurturing relationship with myself, a journey I consider both a privilege and a gift.
My relationship with my body has been tumultuous and consuming, often dominating my thoughts. However, as I’ve grown, I’ve gained a deeper understanding of what truly matters in living a fulfilling and authentic life. Over time, my approach to my own body has begun to mirror the love and care I extend to others. This shift has brought a growing sense of peace, autonomy, and joy, reflecting the positive changes I strive to embody in my interactions with the world.
Sophie Evans
Rey 2024
Acrylic on Canvas, 51cm x 77cm
Rey (she/her) has shared the words below:
Since a young age I have been struggling with the way I perceive my body. I have always thought that it is simultaneously too much and not enough. I have experienced disordered eating and extreme weight loss. But even at my smallest I was not happy.
In the past few years I have been on a journey to accept my body as it is. A huge part of that has been getting tattoos. I might not like a part of my body but I can decorate it until I learn to love and accept it.
Sophie Evans
Anonymous 2024
Acrylic on Canvas, 40cm x 30cm
This person (she/her) has decided to remain anonymous but shared the words below:
My body holds a lot of experience regarding trauma but also love and affection. She’s kept me functional even at the worst moments. I’m still currently experiencing body dysmorphia, it reflects on my artworks in a psychological way but I’m thankful for the mind keeping my heart and soul alive even when I’m struggling.
My relationship to my body has changed over the years with markings and feelings that I now appreciate more than anything. Your nervous system is wired to look for things and so mine does. Survival mode is almost always on.
Sophie Evans
Chloe 2024
Acrylic on Canvas, 76cm x 102cm
Chloe (she/her) has shared the words below:
I never understood body dysmorphia was something I struggled with. I'd just see myself in the mirror and assume that's what I actually looked like. The main kind of dysmorphia I faced was being much fatter than I actually was. My face also just never looked right. I'd avoid mirrors and get kind of upset or dissociate looking into them.
I had a realisation around 3 years ago that I was transgender. Starting hrt made me realise that I was struggling with body dysmorphia. Since hrt, I've started seeing myself as myself. Some days, I still see something weird about my face, just something not quite right. But the general body image has solidified.
I used to hate my body. I eventually just accepted my fate and ignored it. It wasn't something to be loved merely a vessel for me to attempt to exist and live life in. It wasn't worth looking after. Once I realised my true self however, I gained something powerful. Self love. For the first time in my life I wanted to live, I wanted to love my body, make it my own and do all the things that just never felt right. I got piercings, tattoos and started self care. My body was no longer just some vessel it was my own. As the effects of hrt have gone on over the last 2 years, I've only fallen more in love with my body. I'm fat but I love being a chubby woman. I love my body.
Sophie Evans
Jaiden 2024
Acrylic on Canvas, 51cm x 72cm
Jaiden (she/her) has shared the words below:
Body dysmorphia has impacted me almost all of my life. Since early childhood, my self worth had been intrinsically linked to my self image. Subsequently, my body dysmorphia would dictate my worthiness and happiness on a day-to-day, even hour-to-hour basis. It infected my every thought. My academic, artistic and sporting accomplishments were sullied by the disgust I felt towards my body, as were my interpersonal relationships, because I never felt deserving of celebration, recognition or love.
My thoughts and feelings surrounding my body began to shift when I became a life model in 2021. My first life modelling gig was supposed to be a one-and-done bucket list experience. Initially, I found it extremely confronting to be naked in a room full of strangers, and to see my body drawn from so many different angles, angles even I hadn’t seen looking at myself in a mirror. After the first session, however, I was hooked. It’s wondrous to see myself represented in such a vast range of mediums and styles, and to notice just how differently each artist interprets my figure and my essence.
For each drawing session I model for, my appreciation for my body intensifies. Rather than striving solely for body positivity, which I believe is impossible to attain 100% of the time, I’ve come to embrace the concept of body neutrality and celebrate my body for what it can do and the creations it can inspire. Body dysmorphia is a lingering presence in my life, but it’s been an incredible journey from the little girl who couldn’t bear to see her reflection or have her photo taken, to the now adult woman whose walls are proudly plastered with artworks of her naked self.
Sophie Evans
Em 2024
Acrylic on Canvas, 40cm x 30cm
Em (they/them) has shared the words below:
I have come to accept the body I was given, whilst acknowledging it’s not the body I need. It gives me life, keeps me fed and rested, yet when I look in the mirror it’s so hard not to despise it. I now look at my body with the attachment of my soul, without my body I couldn’t laugh, I couldn’t love.
Sophie Evans
Kirstin 2024
Acrylic on Canvas, 30cm x 40cm.
Kirstin (she/her) has shared the words below:
I like my body the majority of the time, having gone through periods where I feel like I am the sexiest thing in the world to the most disgusting. I admire my body’s power and softness.
My experience with body dysmorphia has stopped me from enjoying sensations and feeling connected to myself and others. I’ve been taken out of my body to observe it cruelly in a lot of instances. I think being an artist and working on figurative drawings has helped me to see the beauty in the details of all bodies.
Sophie Evans
Euphoria 2022
Acrylic on Canvas, 61cm x 76cm
This painting is what started this exhibition project. In 2022 I was a part of this amazing festival called Sexfest that focused on conversations about female and queer sex education. For this I decided that I would create a self-portrait of my body.
I’ve battled with body dysmorphia for as long as I can remember, no matter my size I always felt uncomfortable in my own skin. This made creating this painting extremely challenging for me as I would have to constantly confront my body whilst completing the painting. However through doing this, I was able to find a way to look at myself without negative feelings. I’m able to look at this painting of me and see the beauty in my body for the first time ever.
Sophie Evans
Velvet #1 2022
Acrylic on Canvas, 30cm x 40cm
Sophie Evans
Velvet #2 2022
Acrylic on Canvas, 30cm x 40cm
Sophie Evans
Velvet #3 2022
Acrylic on Canvas, 30cm x 40cm