Quick Facts
Biography
Sophie Ryder (born 1963, London, UK) is a sculptor who specialises in portraying mythical animals.
Biography
Ryder graduated in 1984 in Combined Art at the Royal Academy of Arts, receiving a diploma in painting. She was encouraged to develop her studies in sculpting. Most of Sophie Ryder's sculptures are of mythical creatures and humans and animals. She uses animals to explore human emotions and showing that feelings can be read.
Works
Sophie Ryder has mainly focused her work on mythical creatures. Her most known piece is the Lady Hare, a hare with a female human body.
In 1994 a sculpture of five minotaurs was banned from an exhibition at Winchester Cathedral because of the prominence of their genitalia.
Influences
When asked about what influences her, Sophie replies, "I don't sit and contemplate what it is I am trying to achieve. My head is full of ideas all the time. It is part of my life. I don't plan anything, it just comes."
When asked why she portrays hares she replied, "Well, I find it difficult answering that question because I don't really know the answer. It's the same as asking me why I make sculpture, and the answer is, because I feel driven to. So it's difficult to always pin down reasons. My introduction to hares was when my lurcher dog would proudly bring hares home and drop them at my feet."