Sonia Mcnally

‘Woman Burying a Rib Bone reimagines the rib from the Genesis origin story as a relic of the feminine. Rather than presenting the bone as evidence of woman's dependence on man, it transforms it into a symbol of the divine feminine: instinctive, sacred, and worthy of protection. The kneeling figure is not discarding it but burying it, as one might place a relic within a reliquary — preserved and honoured. Her posture also recalls (a dog burying a bone hold her in this private, devotional moment. In relation to Borges's "chimerical museum of shifting shapes," the rib changes meaning across memory, myth and time — from a fragment of one story into a vessel for feminine power.’

Through my work I hope to show you an enchanted and magical world, with a theatrical and humerous side.’

Sonia McNally is a visionary artist, passionate about working in the wilderness, where immersive experiences open portals to the imagination and the layered narratives that she finds there. 

Fascinated by ideas of the sacred, mysticism, earth-based religion, Celtic Christianity, folklore, hagiography and mythology, her work takes her on many exploratory pilgrimages and has many expressions – from painting, printing, poetry, glass, sculpture, to film and interactive performance. Her community and students describe her as a ‘force of nature’ and ‘midwife to the imagination’.

Sonia’s creative portfolio includes, freelancing as a scenic artist for the film industry, where her work is seen on major cinema and TV titles, and as a modelmaker creating and installing world class interactives for museums and exhibitions. She has won large scale glass commissions in churches, runs drawing courses at Canterbury Cathedral and concurrently taught at Canterbury Christ Church University for over a decade on Fine Art degree programs and an MA ‘Myth Cosmology and the Sacred’. She continues to run a yearly Artists’ retreat to Dartmoor and has worked with groups of artists from Iona to India. 

We are delighted to have Sonia as part of our Contemporary Kent Artists exhibition at The Horsebridge Arts Gallery the 7th - 19th of October 2026.

You can find more out more about Sonia and her work on her Website and Instagram.