Werxzovart, the pseudonym for artist Sonje Hibbert, was established in 1996, when living in a small hamlet perched on the rugged cliffs of the wild & far southwest Atlantic coast of West Penwith, Cornwall.
Born on the outskirts of Glasgow in 1964, family roots extend from industrial townships & moorland valleys of the South Pennines UK, to the windswept archipelago of Shetland right up there in the North Atlantic Sea. A northern ancestry no doubt, however, Sonje was brought up & educated primarily in Malawi & Hong Kong with travel to South East Asia and tropical climes bringing a sense of familiarity until she reached the age of middle twenties.
Its safe to say a lot happened on this road well travelled, buoyed on from a childhood injected with extraordinary adventures to blow the mind! 1969, brought a family relocation from the north of UK to Malawi, followed several years later in 1973 with a grand mainly overland departure from home in Malawi and East Africa to UK. The journey from Mombasa involved the passenger steamer SS Karanja sailing to Pakistan & then Bombay India, followed by a very memorable road trip through Northern India, Pakistan, Afganistan, Iran and Turkey in the family Peugeot 404 Estate. All setting the scene for her life long sense of wonderlust, adventure and more!
Driven by unapologetic escapism which in turn is fuelled by an obsession of anything that vaguely resembles a rock, the creative expression is a narrative of her inner world, an adventurous and continually evolving quest for self. By immersing herself in dramatic landscapes, either vast and barren, or geographically obscure, the relationship of place and emotion can only then be felt. Sometimes the artistic expression is an existential impression, sometimes not. The work offered is visceral, with personal & artistic boundaries being stretched: at times, in both, a seemingly fearless perhaps reckless, risk taking mode.
Working as an artist for over thirty years, with a solo showcase from 2013 -2021 in the very successful Werxzovart Studio Gallery in Haworth, W. Yorkshire: artistic production focused on large-scale ceramic vessels, offering exaggerated representations of The Jug or wall mounted unique contemporary designs. Complimenting these very sought after ceramics, the large acrylic painted wall panels feature natural elements taken from the land that inspired them. The work at times combining steel & ceramic: many are then framed with a considered brace of recycled lead.
All of the unique artworks are highly collectable which have been paramount in supporting her enigmatic nomadic way. Current inspiration is being nurtured on grand scale overland journeys on the southern land mass of the African Continent, and hame fae hame & ancestral roots in the northern most islands of the UK, Shetland.
