Young Auckland Artist set to wow Parnell gallery

Media Release – 06 July 2009

Young Auckland Artist set to wow Parnell gallery scene

Sofia Minson’s new paintings will take centre stage in Auckland’s high-end Parnell Arts district in July. It will be her fifth solo exhibition at only 24 years old.

Her large, powerful works were first showcased to amazed Auckland gallery audiences and media in 2007.

Two years on, Sofia’s upcoming exhibition at McCarthy Gallery will feature bold yet finely detailed oil paintings exploring ‘cultural diversity’. The artist has been inspired by her recent trip to the Middle East as well as her Ngati Porou ancestry and the myths and landscapes of Aotearoa.

Sofia’s eerie landscapes and striking portraits occupy a timeless realm of their own. She says “on the surface my work seems to emphasize cultural and ethnic differences but on a deeper level, each painting aims to draw the viewer into the soul of the person or environment that is being depicted. It is our experience of this wairua or spirit that connects us together.”

The young artist’s sought-after paintings grace the walls of homes all over the world. They have won national art awards, been regularly featured in media publications and have been exhibited in the USA, Turkey, Europe and throughout New Zealand.

In 2004 while studying interior architecture at AUT, it was actually through Painting that Sofia discovered success and also a vital link to her roots. “Born in Auckland, I spent much of my childhood overseas in Samoa, Sri Lanka and China. When we returned as a family I felt quite disconnected from New Zealand.
Painting enabled me to research and explore my own heritage as well as reconnect with the richness of our culture and land”.

Art has offered profound opportunities in Sofia’s life. “I’ve had the privilege of meeting such interesting people and being able to travel with my paintings. Now I’m in a position where I’m able to give back.”

Sofia has auctioned off her artworks for many national charities and in February this year also shaved her head to help personally raise $10,000 for the Leukaemia and Blood Foundation.

She is currently making a whole series of collaborative acrylic paintings with autistic children. These will be auctioned off by TAO Trust in August 2009 to raise funds for the construction of New Zealand’s first state-of-the-art creative development centre for children and families living with autism.

At over 2 meters wide, one of the most otherworldly pieces from Sofia’s upcoming show is called “Te Ao Marama, The World of Light”. Two faces, illuminated turbulent clouds and soaring native birds portray the separation of the divine lovers Ranginui (Sky Father) and Papatuanuku (Earth Mother).

Sofia Minson’s solo exhibition at McCarthy Gallery, Auckland, will run from 18 July to 13 August 2009.

Photolink www.sofiaminson.com

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