Sofia Minson - The Hero's Journey

Exciting rare opportunity to have your own HERO'S JOURNEY by Artist Sofia Minson

We only have ONE and it is exhibtied in our gallery in the Matakana Village. BE QUICK

A beautifully framed print of this beautiful CANVAS artwork 

• Size XL 1150mm x 1560mm
• A specialist art courier can be arranged to deliver POA

The story of The Hero's Journey

"We're not on our journey to save the world but to save ourselves. But in doing that you save the world. The influence of a vital person vitalises."- Joseph Campbell

This portrait of a wahine toa (courageous woman) is a call to the hero's journey, to become the hero of one's own myth.

The woman is surrounded by both Western tradition and ancient Maori tradition.
There is both defiance and incorporation of Western and Māori cultural influences

Within the portrait there seems to be a process of challenging all of the ancestral voices from the past. Their conflicting advice, histories, tikanga and rules can sometimes feel like an impossible situation to navigate. And yet there is composure and wisdom in her eyes. She doesn't seem overwhelmed but embodies mana wāhine (the divine feminine).

She wears all the various cultural elements with such dignity. She has reintegrated the traditions on her own terms, with higher self-knowledge.  

The Victorian dress is stifling with its tight, buttoned corset. It is impractical with its extra folds of heavy material and hump at the back. And yet the form is undeniably beautiful. It creates a gorgeous shape. Equally beautiful is the ornate, golden floral wallpaper design.

She strikingly wears moko kauae, traditional Māori tattoo carved into her lips and chin, signifying mana and status. The colour of the ink mirrors her pounamu (greenstone) earrings. Tā moko is an indelible, outward sign of an inner, spiritual link to one's roots. This is particularly true for those who wear moko in the 21st century.  

The top hat is trimmed with tāniko designs, fusing an English cultural symbol with a Māori one. Both top hat and tāniko are associated with adding decoration to formal dress.  
The carved wooden taiaha she holds is a traditional weapon. Its sharp point features an arero (tongue) poking out beyond the mouth - an expression of defiance.    

Taking up the lower third of the background is a silhouette of Mt Hikurangi in gold. As the highest point on the East Cape of the North Island, Hikurangi is the first place in Aotearoa to see the sun every day.

The royal blue of her dress is the colour of the sixth chakra in Hinduism. It is the third eye, associated with seeing beyond the capability of the eyes. Royal blue is the colour of synthesis. Of assembling seemingly separate, unrelated criteria into a complete or whole understanding. It is like knowing, but not knowing how you know.  It evokes intuition, perception and inner wisdom.