On the eve of the release of Sophie Tea’s highly anticipated coffee table book, ‘Send Nudes’, Britain Uncovered stopped by the artist’s intimate London gallery for a look at a special accompanying exhibit featuring an extensive collection of images from across the artist’s numerous nude catwalk events. Here, in pictures, is a look at exactly how the gallery was transformed to honour these memorable occasions.
The culmination of over three years’ work of body positivity art and beyond, Send Nudes, the brand new coffee table book from artist Sophie Tea, was itself an extensive project that had been many months in the making – and by the time the dust had settled and the ink had dried, the artist was so proud of the end result that she went as far as saying that it is the, “Most proud work of my life”.
Entirely self-published and self-funded, the publication seeks to document the artist’s extensive foray into the nude space – which includes a substantial portfolio of nude artwork, along with six distinct events featuring nude painted models – and across the 350 pages of this lavish fine art book are no less than 500 images, 80 artworks, behind-the-scenes content from the nude catwalk events, hand-painted features, and even a poem penned by one of the models who had participated in one of Sophie’s aforementioned body positivity experiences.
On the morning of March 3rd, just one day prior to the book’s official release and mere hours before an exclusive launch party attended by many of Sophie’s past models, Britain Uncovered stopped by the gallery to enjoy a brand new exhibit that had been created not only to promote Send Nudes, but to celebrate and document each and every one of the past nudie events to have taken place since the artist presented her very first nude catwalk exhibit at the end of 2019. (If you’re not familiar with these past events, feel free to check out the reviews in our archives; starting with the original catwalk event in Shoreditch, and ending with an even swankier affair at the Waldorf Astoria some two years later).
Having opened the doors to her first London gallery back in the summer of 2020, the current iteration of Sophie Tea’s store is now the third different venue for the artist in as many years – and the latest gallery sits just off Carnaby on Newburgh Street, a stone’s throw away from the original venue that opened up shortly after the success of Sophie’s inaugural Send Nudes event in Shoreditch. The current gallery feels just as boujie and on-trend as the artist’s previous venues, albeit on a slightly smaller scale, and the collage of censored nudes plastered across the windows certainly sets the tone and succeeds at capturing the imagination of passers by.
Upon entry, gallery visitors are immediately treated to an eclectic mix of Sophie’s artwork old and new (including pieces from her recent Grow collection, along with the iconic heart mirrors that were created during the first lockdown), and the newly revamped area dedicated to the Send Nudes book launch more than lived up to expectations. With the very first edition of the book encased in a glass cabinet in the centre of the room, along with black-and-white images from all of Sophie’s past catwalk events plastered across all four sides of the room, this was quite literally a wall-to-wall homage to each and every one of these past catwalk events – and getting a sneak peek into the kind of images you’re likely to find within the pages of the new publication certainly whets the appetite and provides a good indicator as to the quantity and quality of images contained within. It was also a heartening reminder to see exactly how much Sophie and her team have managed to accomplish in such a short space of time, and it was equally as heart-warming to see each of the past models being formally recognised for their valuable contributions and the part they played in helping to make Sophie’s vision become reality.
Limited to just 5,000 copies, each book – which is priced at £250 and available from Sophie Tea’s official website – comes in a matching, custom-made box, and with a cover embossed with gold foil text and a matching gold gilded edge, the usual attention to detail and special touches we’ve come to expect from the Sydney-based artist are front and centre, giving the book a premium look and feel the moment you first lay eyes on it.
Without further ado, we hope you enjoy our selection of some of the most memorable sights from across the weekend of the Send Nudes book launch. Britain Uncovered would like to extend a special thanks to Verity Pitts, a model at the very first Send Nudes event in 2019, for the use of her images from the VIP party held at the gallery shortly after our visit.
- To see more of Sophie Tea's contemporary nude artwork, and for more information about her gallery and the release of Send Nudes, head to the artist's official website at sophieteaart.com. You can also find Sophie Tea via her lively and engaging Instagram and TikTok channels.
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