Sonia Shomalzadeh

Sonia is an artist, nature lover and patron of Marine Conservation Research (MCR). Born in Portsmouth in 1987, Sonia grew up always wanting to be by the sea, with a keen interest in marine biology and the environment. Sonia is best known for her life size drawings of endangered marine life. Her achievements include cycling the length of France in a 540 mile cycle challenge, she won the Young Marine Artist Award 2012.

She completed a residency aboard RV Song of the Whale, studying marine mammals in the North Atlantic Ocean with Marine Conservation Research (MCR) and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). She has given a Tedx talk at Bath University and taken part in workshops and climate events, hoping to celebrate the marine environment but also raise awareness of our impacts upon it, through her art practice.