Sophia van der Bank aka MRS. HELICHRYSUM.

About the Create! Magazine 10th Anniversary Book: Create! Magazine is honored to celebrate a decade of contemporary art by publishing a look back at previously selected artists: their achievements, career growth, and more since being published. Stay tuned for the book launch in fall 2026, and join our newsletter to stay up to date.

Sophia van der Bank (featured in both Create! Magazine and the Create! Magazine 10th Anniversary Book) is a contemporary artist working under the alias Mrs. Helichrysum, a name she prefers her work to be known by (Mrs. H. for short). Her work lives somewhere between a feeling and a playground, where colour goes first and everything else follows. With a deep love for colour, texture, pattern, nature, and her faith, Sophia’s pieces often hold stories that reveal themselves in their own time. The result is work that invites viewers to pause, look a little longer, and find their own meaning within it, or even themselves.

That’s why Mrs. H only has a big old nose to showcase on her face…

Her process is instinctive and layered, guided by curiosity as much as by intention. The result is work that feels alive, warm, and tactile. Sophia’s work has been featured in Artistic Hub Magazine, Visual Art Journal, and Create! Magazine, and has appeared on digital billboards in Times Square.

She has exhibited multiple times through the Sakku Art Institute, with group shows at Ferment Gallery and The Warehouse Gallery in Dubai, connecting her with a network of contemporary artists in the region. In addition to her studio practice, Sophia has led a workshop at the University of Iran in Dubai.

As Mrs. Helichrysum, Sophia continues to create expressive, story-filled work that feels alive, encouraging a return to magic and colour... and perhaps, what comes next might be something you can wear.


Instagram: @mrs.h.in.blackstockings