Bio

Romy Cooper is a Brighton-based multidisciplinary artist whose practice is rooted in the exploration of the female body and femininity as controversial, complex, and ambiguous constructs within contemporary society. She is particularly drawn to these subjects for their layered cultural meanings and how they have been shaped—and often distorted—by systems of patriarchy, capitalism, and digital culture.

Working primarily through self-portraiture, Romy uses her own body as both subject and material to ground her work in personal experience. This autobiographical approach allows her to express vulnerability while critically examining broader sociological themes through a feminist lens. She conceptualises the female body as a vessel—a holder and receiver of trauma—and uses this metaphor to challenge dominant narratives around identity, control, and perception.

Her practice spans sculpture, photography, and painting, and has recently expanded to include materials such as crochet, textiles, resin, and latex. These mediums, chosen for their cultural and gendered associations, allow her to create tactile, layered forms that oscillate between softness and rigidity, reflecting the contradictions inherent in contemporary representations of femininity. Romy’s work continues to evolve through expanded material experimentation and a deepening engagement with embodied feminist theory.

Through this practice, she aims to create space for audiences to reflect on their own internalised perceptions of the body and femininity. By foregrounding vulnerability, Romy invites empathy and confrontation—encouraging viewers to question how societal norms have shaped their understanding of intimacy, identity, and power.