About
Renee So (b. 1974, Hong Kong) is a London-based artist working across ceramics, textiles and sculpture. Raised in Melbourne, Australia, her practice draws on a wide range of historical and cultural references, combining traditional craft techniques with a distinctly contemporary and critical perspective.
So is known for her figurative ceramic vessels and hand-knitted works, which merge influences from prehistoric artefacts, ancient civilisations and European decorative traditions. Her sculptures often take the form of hybrid human-object figures, borrowing from sources such as Bellarmine jugs, ritual masks and classical portraiture, while retaining a playful, sometimes satirical tone.
Central to her practice is an exploration of identity, gender and cultural inheritance. Through exaggerated forms and fictional personas, So examines how histories—particularly those shaped by colonialism and patriarchy—continue to inform contemporary understandings of the body and self. Her work frequently reimagines both male and female archetypes, questioning authority, representation and the construction of meaning across time.
Her work has been the subject of major solo exhibitions at institutions including the Henry Moore Institute, Leeds, and the De La Warr Pavilion, and has been exhibited internationally in museums and galleries such as the Whitechapel Gallery and Goldsmiths CCA.
