Sofia Minson: Indigenous Art on the World Stage
Inspired by her Ngāti Porou Māori, English, Swedish and Irish heritage, Sofia paints striking and sacred art.
For Sofia, making art is about connecting our modern human experience with the wisdom of our ancestors.
With each brushstroke, Sofia explores powerful themes that are both deeply personal and profoundly universal; of Māori mythology, Mana Wahine (Divine Feminine), and the mana (integrity) of generations past.
Hine-nui-te-pō limited edition print by Sofia Minson
Regular archival print on paper 805 x 500mm
Edition of 95
Unframed $950
Framed $1,950
I drew visual inspiration for this portrait from dozens of black and white 19th and 20th century photographs of Maori. I pieced together her form from my imagination. And she has become something entirely new in the creative process
After finishing this painting and sitting with her for a while, I realised that she embodied the goddess Hine-nui-te-pō - great woman of the night. She and the other similar piece Hine-tītama - Lady of the dawn, are actually the same goddess at different stages in their evolution.
Koru limited edition print by Sofia Minson
Regular archival print on paper 640mm 640mm
Edition of 275
Unframed $950
Framed $1,950
Koru is an organic pattern spiralling out from Te Pō, the Long Night. Represented in the black background, Te Pō is the fertile darkness from which Te Ao Mārama, the World of Light, is born into existence. The koru designs, painted with a metallic pearl luster, branch off from one another and spiral on infinitely.