SOPHIA GAYOSO-NORDLING

Bio:

Sophia is a multidisciplinary artist working across stage directing, drag, stage design, painting, and ceramics. Their practice bridges craft and theatrics, drawing on Latin American folk art while exploring themes of identity, queerness, and cultural memory. Whether through hand-built objects or live performance, Sophia creates work that connects the sacred and the political, the traditional and the experimental. 

Artist Statement: 

I am a Cuban-American, queer artist working to honor my family’s legacy by weaving ancient traditions with contemporary performance to honor cultural memory and reimagine liberation. I aim to create art that transforms spaces into living stages where queerness, protest, and Latin American identity converge in acts of storytelling and revolution. I ground myself in sacred making practices, emerging tactile craft with performance to ignite dialogue and change. While the medium may take a multitude of forms, my work consistently centers around two core modes: Craft and Theatrics.

“Craft” speaks to my use of tactile, often traditional, mediums such as painting, crochet, ceramics, and hand-built props as a way to honor Latin American folk art and ancestral making. I integrate ancient artistic methods with contemporary themes of gender, protest, and cultural identity, artistically bridging past and present.

“Theatrics” stems from my work in stage direction, drag, and projection design. These practices shape how I understand the role of the audience and how I believe art lives through experience, especially as I continue to explore my art as political and social propaganda. Whether designing a projection-based performance, directing a play, or applying makeup as drag storytelling, I engage with techniques inspired by Tectonic Theatre Project’s Moment Work methods and process-over-product goals to emphasize the making of performance.

In my works, visual compositions are rooted in traditional materials, yet shaped by theatrical context. I believe any creative process done with love and presence is a spiritual practice, and I find a special, revitalizing power in collaborating with other minority artists.