High-performance art

‘The art form of my generation is how well you can communicate on social media,’ Sophie Tea explains. ‘It’s about community and the impact of art. It’s about reaching as many people as you can and changing opinions.’

That she’s managed all of the above is undeniable, but Tea has also created a formidable body of work, and turned the heads of the high art world’s prickly gatekeepers. One million-plus followers on Instagram will do that for you – but Tea’s talents go beyond a knack for mass communication. 

She’s also collaborated with Porsche, ‘live painting’ a Macan Electric at London’s MotoArto exhibition and during the 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed. ‘I was planning on painting a car,’ she says, ‘and it had to be a Porsche. It’s an iconic, bold, stylish brand, unafraid of pushing boundaries. Approaching this one was kind of natural. The Macan feels quite womanly and shapely, so compositionally it was actually quite easy. Live painting is not new to me. I’ve done a show at the London Palladium, and there’s one lined up at the Royal Albert Hall. I have a live muse model on stage and there’s an interview section. It crescendos with body-painted models on a catwalk while a DJ plays.’