Sofia Candeo

Sofia Candeo, known as Art SyamHope, is an international visual artist whose practice is inspired by human research and travel. Over the years, she has developed a multidisciplinary approach, exploring painting and illustration as tools for emotional, cultural, and human inquiry.

Her educational methodology is inspired by the Montessori philosophy and integrates her background and interest in the human sciences and mediation, combining traditional techniques with the creative reuse and revaluation of materials. After graduating from the Comics Academy of Visual Art and New Media in Padua, Italy, her hometown, she began her professional artistic career in Córdoba, Spain. There, she continued her artistic development through artistic experimentation at the Antonio Povedano School of Art and the C3A – Andalusian Centre for Contemporary Creation. She has also taken part in artist residencies with YAP (El Saucejo and Navarredonda) and Arte Viva (Los Blázquez), as well as local and international art fairs, including FADAC in Seville and THAF in London.

In recent years, she has received several awards for plein air painting, including the 17th Pedro Lobato Hoyos Prize (2023) in Ubrique (Cádiz) and an Honourable Mention in Cañete de las Torres (Córdoba). She was also invited to participate in La Noche en Blanco Málaga in the 2024 and 2025 editions, presenting a live painting performance. Alongside her artistic practice, she contributes to the design, production, and coordination of socially engaged cultural projects. She has worked as an artistic direction assistant at La Casa Azul Centre for Contemporary Creation and Cultural Production, as a painting educator for the Córdoba City Council's Civic Centres, as an early childhood art educator at Zinnia Painting and Ceramics Academy, and as artistic director of School ARt Gallery, a European project combining mural art and augmented reality in schools.

Her career naturally positions her at the intersection of art, emotion, lived experience, and community, establishing a solid foundation for developing creative projects within educational, care, and mental health environments.