Biography

Regina Torres Thompson is a London-based artist with a focus on sculpture. Her artistic journey began in childhood with painting and ceramics. Her abstract thinking is shaped by her academic background in mathematics and ancient Indian philosophy, both of which deeply influence her creative practice.

Her long-term practice of Ashtanga yoga led her to study classical Sanskrit and the textual traditions of yoga. This passion guided her to complete an MA in Textual Traditions of Yoga and Meditation at SOAS, University of London, in 2022, and she is now pursuing a part-time MA in Indology (specialising in Sanskrit) at the University of Hamburg. Regina describes her academic journey as “slow academia”—a deliberate and unhurried pursuit for the joy of learning.

Now a full-time ceramic artist, Regina’s work reflects her interconnected interests in philology, identity, materiality, and the body. These influences converge in her sculptures, which explore the complexities of human existence. She also teaches yoga and the history of yoga, incorporating critical and feminist approaches into her teaching.

Artist Statement

In my art, I explore the emotions and experiences that shape the human condition. My work is inspired by the Sanskrit concept of kusuma, which means both “blossom out of season” and “a form of fire.” I use this duality to reflect the contradictions of being human—moments of joy and sadness, intensity and humour, vulnerability and strength.

Each sculpture I create embodies these contradictions, offering a tactile expression of emotions that surface through the creative process. My work invites viewers to connect with their own sensitivity, nostalgia, and the complexities of life.

For me, working with clay is a way to collect and express unspoken emotions, creating a connection between my art and the deeper aspects of existence.

I am interested in the materiality of the body, particularly how the body becomes both subject and object—marked, shaped, and redefined through physical and symbolic acts.

Barbara Holdridge critiques the hierarchical distinction between mind and body—where the rational, immaterial mind (coded as male) is privileged over the material, non-rational body (coded as female). Her work challenges how we perceive and engage with the body in all its diversity, abstraction, and materiality.

What if we see the body, not as an object to transcend or eliminate, but as a dynamic map of consciousness, gender, and meaning-making?