SONJA ILLUSTRATES
ABOUT
About Sonja
Sonja Christoph is a self-taught whimsical contemporary artist whose vibrant works dance between figurative and abstract realms. Having lived in four different countries and nine different cities, she speaks three languages and has completed University Degrees in both the USA and Germany and currently resides in Lake Como, Italy.
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Raised in the quaint town Vero Beach, Sonja grew up on the crystalline shoreline of the Atlantic coast in a small suburban town in Florida.
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Passionately drawing and writing since childhood, Sonja was a natural creative who dreamed of one day moving abroad to her father's home country. In 2004 she made the jump and decided to give up her life in America and pursue her passion for literature at the University of Heidelberg in southern Germany.
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"The stories we tell have power.
They are our legacy. I believe the whole reason we feel compelled to create things as artists is to share a glimpse of the stories we hold inside and to connect with others who might feel like us or have had a similar experience.
We create to let others know they are not alone."
- Sonja Christoph
After pursuing literary studies in Heidelberg, she moved to Munich where she obtained a Master’s Degree in Comparative Literature.
However, it was not until she moved to London that she embarked on her artistic career and began to take coursework at the Putney School of Art and Design.
Drawing from her rich tapestry of cultural encounters across multiple countries, Christoph infuses her art with a kaleidoscope of influences.
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Influences
Central to Sonja’s artistic ethos is storytelling, a passion fuelled by her deep-rooted love of folklore, legends and fairy tales. Inspired by luminaries like J.W. Waterhouse, Frida Kahlo and Gustav Klimt who used stories to imbue their works with narrative and by author-illustrators like Dr. Suess, Shel Silverstein, Lewis Carroll and Charley Mackesy, who were able to create worlds of their own, Sonja’s influences come from both the artistic and literary realms. Her distinctive style, rich in meaning and feeling, serves as a testament to her dedication to the craft storytelling through art.
Employing a mixed media approach, Christoph wields ink, gouache, watercolour and acrylics to craft her captivating narratives on canvas. Her pieces have been sought after globally. Throughout her career, Sonja has captivated audiences her evocative style, earning commissions from esteemed patrons such as the world-renowned Three-Michelin Star Chef, Kevin Fehling and iconic brands such as Hapag-Llyod. She has created show posters for London theatres and dance schools such as the Siegeris School of Dance in Wimbeldon and the English School of Dance in Vienna.
Biennale di Venezia 2024
Currently Sonja’s work is being shown in Venice as she became one of the invited exhibiting artists in the Pavillion of Cameroon in the 2024 Biennale di Venezia. The Biennale’s theme this year straniere ovunque (or foreigners everywhere) aims to shed a light on the stories and diasporas of migrants and expats worldwide and bring attention to the vibrant and compelling tales of those who have ventured away from their homelands.
The intriguing self-portrait Sonja created for this year’s Biennale, titled “Frames of Reference”, is a spiralling narrative of her own life spanning three countries, six different cities and three languages and is brought to life in shades of black and white, joy and grief, and love and loss. It is currently being displayed in the Palazzo Donà dalle Rose, Fondamente Nove, 5038, 30121 Venezia.
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