Te Waka O Te Wairua

Print on museum archival paper or canvas | signed limited edition (only 95 prints available)
Angels and ancestors collide to create an intermediary space where humans are both fascinated and attracted to different worlds and their cosmologies - one Orthodox Christian, the other deeply Indigenous. This work embraces the notion of using 'whakapapa' (genealology) as a technique to layer various images, icons and symbols to create a cohesive narrative. Specifically, the large hei tiki which dominates the left hand-side of the painting is studded with intimate family portraits in its belly, and then as your gaze moves upwards you can see constellations and ancestral pathways that take you right up the very open, conscious, and bright red eyes. These windows to the soul symbolize a universe inside a universe. On the right hand-side, the archangel I've created is inspired by the 13th century frescoes in churches in Crete (which is where I'm from) and laced with gold, magenta and blue. These colours share the opulence of the vestries. The angel also has many swallows that we often see around these old monasteries which are now revered as cultural sites of historical significance.
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