Sophie Clausen
Artist
I was born and grew up in Elsinore, Denmark. After travelling the world, I moved to London where I studied Illustration at Chelsea College of Art and went onto to receive a BA (Hons) in Fine Art and History of Art from Goldsmiths College, University of London. I later graduated with an MA in Communication Design from Chelsea College of Art and Design.
In 2009 I spent 3 months as Artist in Residence with The Art Students League of New York, and had subsequent exhibitions of my series of paintings ‘Free Falling’ at Galleria Panza Verde and La Reunion in La Antigua, Guatemala. I was awarded the Vytlacil Scholarship with The Art Students League of New York in 2010.
My career to date has been colourful and varied: In 2004 I was appointed Graphic Designer for Alan Ayckbourn’s theatre, the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough. From 2005 to 2010 I worked as Senior Graphic Designer for the Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon. In 2010-2011 I was employed by the Danish Embassy in London as Press and Cultural Officer. From 2011-2013 I worked as an artist and art assistant to Arthur Becker in New York City before moving back to Stratford upon Avon where I have worked as a Creative Programmes Producer for the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust from 2015-2018 and as Exhibitions Officer for the Royal Shakespeare Company from 2018-2019. In 2020 I set up Arts Rising Collective, a Community Interest Company with the aim of getting an arts venue in Stratford upon Avon. I currently also work as Lead Producer for Coventry Artspace and Coventry City of Culture.
Since 2018 I have been a Trustee Board Member of Lifeways Charity in Stratford upon Avon.
I am the founder, editor and designer of The Love, Hope & Peace Journal, an online magazine with contributors and readers from around the world, supported by Amnesty International. It’s published on Issuu.com : https://issuu.com/thelovehopepeacejournal/docs/finalpdf
My first novel Over Dine Øjne – Over Your Eyes – was published in Denmark by Forfatterskabet in November 2019 and has received outstanding reviews: https://www.forfatterskabet.dk/over-dine-oejne/
I have been interviewed for newspaper articles, radio and television by The Stratford Herald, The Guardian, Irish Times, Bloomberg News, Reuters, BBC News, Sky News, Danish TV2 News and Swedish TV4 News in relation to my Brexit Cafe initiative and other social activism.