Karne Archivos: In Conversation with Ida Sophia

Australian artist Ida Sophia sits down with us to discuss her first solo exhibition at Bardo Projektraum Berlin, “I Remember How it Feels to be Made of Flesh.” In this intimate conversation, Ida shares her artistic practice, the symbolism behind her work, and how durational performance becomes a methodology for examining vulnerability, pain, and collective healing.

The Work: Rose Thorns, Matrilineal Lines, and Endurance

Ida’s exhibition explores how matrilineal lines teach us to endure pain and conditioning through the motif of the rose thorn—both defensive and wounding. The exhibition features three major works:

“A Tyranny of Small Decisions” — An immersive installation of 45 rose thorn stems that create a pathway, growing denser as you move through. This work reflects how small decisions compound over time, entangling us in situations we never anticipated. Yet there is always an exit, an opportunity to look back and choose another path.

“To Work at Wreckage” — A durational performance that uses the party as a social methodology to examine how we hide what we endure. Through atmospheric shifts and contrast, Ida guides audiences on an emotional journey from heightened celebration to profound vulnerability and release.

On Artistic Practice and Universal Themes

“Although very autobiographical in inspiration, I understand that while the details of my story are unique to me, the themes I’m talking about are universal,” Ida explains. Her work invites audiences to approach difficult subjects—regret, disconnection, pain—in ways that are “confronting yet gentle and conciliatory.”

By putting a microscope on interpersonal relationships and their ripple effects into broader society, Ida creates spaces for deep looking and mirroring. Her art asks: How do we work through pain together? What does it mean to endure, and how can vulnerability become a form of resistance?

Why This Matters: Art as Transformation

Karne Kunst is committed to platforming artists like Ida Sophia—practitioners who use contemporary art as a tool for examining identity, migration, feminism, and collective healing. Through durational performance, sculpture, and new media, Ida’s work embodies the values we hold dear: care, accessibility, and the belief that art can transform how we understand ourselves and each other.

Watch the Full Interview

In this video, Ida discusses her artistic evolution, the symbolism of the rose thorn, the challenges of condensing durational practice into a three-hour performance, and how vulnerability becomes an invitation for audiences to take these themes away and think about them over time.

About Karne Archivos

Karne Archivos is our documentary series featuring conversations with artists working across sound, politics, and experimentation. Each interview is an invitation to think deeply about art as resistance, transformation, and community-building.

Through these conversations, we amplify the voices of Latinx and migrant artists, curators, and cultural workers who are reshaping Berlin’s contemporary art scene and building transnational networks of solidarity.

Learn More

• Exhibition: I Remember How it Feels to be Made of Flesh
• Artist: Ida Sophia. WEBSITE
• Venue: Bardo Projektraum, Berlin
• Follow Karne Archivos: YouTube | Instagram | Newsletter

Karne Kunst is a women-led, migrant-founded platform showcasing contemporary Latinx and migrant art through exhibitions, residencies, performances, and workshops. We center feminist, intersectional, and decolonial perspectives in all our work.