Sophia Cai

Sophia Cai is a Melbourne-based curator, arts writer, public programmer and greyhound enthusiast. She is particularly interested in Asian art history, the intersection between contemporary art and craft, as well as feminist methodologies and community-based practices.

Opinion

Artists as influencers: advertising or advocacy?

By mere virtue of using social media, artists unavoidably project a ‘personal brand’—but, asks Sophia Cai, what ethics are at play when artists become active influencers for businesses, products or political positions?

Opinion

Never Mind the Nepo Babies—Here Come the Crony Pals

The art world is an enterprise famously built on personal networks—but, as Sophia Cai writes, that doesn’t mean your best friends should also be your curators, collectors, profilers, show essayists, reviewers, installers and co-exhibiters.

Opinion

Can a cultural critic actually be ‘neutral’? And should they be?

With current debates in the Australian media landscape on who should review a work of art, Sophia Cai questions the myth of critical neutrality.

Opinion

Picass-No: Why are we so obsessed with male masters?

The art world may be becoming a more diverse place, but are we really revolutionising who we consider ‘masters’?

Opinion

If you’re no longer making art, are you still an artist? Who decides?

The arts industry is full of gatekeepers, but what happens when you become your own gatekeeper? Sophia Cai speaks with four artists who have stopped making work, or have slowed down in recent years, to ask whether they still consider themselves artists.

Feature

We are the dew drops

Poetic and poignant, Lindy Lee’s work reflects the enormity and fragility of the cosmos.

Opinion

When Should You Work For Free?

When the arts sector relies upon free labour from artists and arts workers, how do we have conversations about real job equity and sustainability? Sophia Cai unpacks this question.

Opinion

Goodbye 2021: A year of loss and optimism

“Dear 2022, I don’t want to write any more essays about the pandemic. Signed, Sophia Cai.” As we push ourselves to the finish line of 2021, Sophia Cai looks back on the last 12 months, reflecting on a year defined by the swiftness of loss and the struggle for optimism.