Culture Now: Sophy Rickett and Darian Leader

Artist Sophy Rickett is in conversation with psychoanalyst Darian Leader, discussing her new book of photographic work The Death of a Beautiful Subject (GOST Books, 2015). This new publication features an 'accidental archive' of photographs of butterflies taken by her retired father and a narrative text written by the artist. Her most autobiographical work to date, this new work explores themes of dislocation, separation and reconciliation. Whilst tracing and recording a dialogue with the artist’s family, The Death of a Beautiful Subject explores photography as a means to navigate the world and its relations.

A graduate from the Royal College of Art, Sophy Rickett has had solo exhibitions at Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge; Chateau de Lichtenberg, Alsace; Arnolfini, Bristol; and De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill. Group exhibitions include Baltic, Gateshead; Pompidou, Paris; MOMA, Moscow. Her work is included in major public collections worldwide including the Pompidou, Paris; Federal Reserve, Washington; Government Art Collection, London. Sophy Rickett is a lecturer in photography at London College of Communication/ UAL.

Darian Leader is a psychoanalyst working in London and a member of the Centre for Freudian Analysis and Research and of The College of Psychoanalysts-UK. His books include Why do women write more letters than they post? (1996); Stealing the Mona Lisa: What Art Stops Us From Seeing (2002); The New Black: Mourning, Melancholia and Depression (2008), What is Madness? (2011), and Strictly Bipolar (2013). His new book Hands will be published in June by Penguin.

Book and Ticket Offer

You can purchase a copy of Sophy Rickett’s new book The Death of a Beautiful Subject (GOST Books, 2015) for the discounted price of £10 with your ticket. Sophy will be signing copies of her book after the event. Please select Book & Ticket on the checkout page and the books will be available for collection on the day from the Box Office.