Kaitiaki - Limited Edition 20 of 95 Print

This item is a limited edition print of the original oil painting by Sofia Minson 75cm high x 55.2cm wide Archival pigments printed on museum quality matte card Personally embossed with a Sofa Minson signature Signed Certificate of Authenticity provided Unframed print arrives sealed in a protective tube "Kaitiaki" is "Guardian" in Maori. "I think of him as Tāne" says the artist. He is god of the forest and progenitor of mankind. His presence is that of Kaitiaki or Guardian of the natural world. His face came into being from Minson's imagination, inspired by tupuna (ancestors) in Charles Frederick Goldie and Gottfried Lindauer portraits as well as black and white 20th century photographs of Maori. He wears Tā Moko Kanohi (full face tattoo) deeply carved into his skin - an indelible link to his whakapapa (genealogy) going back to Ranginui (sky father), Papatūānuku (earth mother) and to the instant of creation. Legend has it that long ago Tāne separated his parents’ tight embrace to allow Te Ao Mārama, a world of space and light to enter, and trees and birds and every living thing including humans, to flourish. We humans are kaitiaki - guardians and stewards of the natural world. It’s not about ownership over land and exclusivity of these people over those people, but a realization of abundance, which breeds harmony. The kinship we have with the natural world can be expressed by managing our environment wisely. Today there is growing interest in kaitiakitanga as iwi (tribes) restore their environment and their culture. Tane's mother is kept close in the form of the carved taonga he holds, and his father of the skies is indicated in the tapu (sacred) white-tipped huia feather in his hair and the mist caressing the earth. "The forest is a living thing just as I breathe and live. Every leaf, every tree, every, insect, every bird, feels and knows this. When I enter its domain, I know I enter the House Of Tāne. My ancestor who created us all and each one of us. A face of Io-of-the-Many-Faces." - From Māori natural lore

Printmaking:Ink on Paper

Artist Produced Limited Edition of:1

Size:21.7 W x 29.1 H x 0 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.