New Sculpture Inspired by Missing Maori Goddesses

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

20th October 2016

Dion Hitchens announced today that his new sculpture, “Homage to the Children of Light,” will feature at this year’s NZ Sculpture OnShore exhibition, supporting NZ Women’s Refuge.

As a sculptor of Maori and Chinese heritage, Dion is known for his culturally inspired works. This piece was influenced by the pantheon of 140 Maori Gods and in particular the untold stories of the Missing Maori Goddesses.

Dion Hitchens says, “Our written history has been recorded by men, which in turn has influenced our culture and values through recent generations. This is highlighted in the storytelling of the Maori Gods, where the female Goddesses are only mentioned in relation to the male Gods; the female knowledge was not shared as the anthropologists only consulted men.”

“Male and female can be seen as an energy as in ‘Yin and Yang’ or ‘I and O’, the idea of balance both externally in the universe and internally in our selves. How could this hidden knowledge of the female goddesses help us to make gentle change in our daily lives? Could it help us to create a better balance in all aspects of our life? What could our world look like if we could place the well-being of people and families first. How would this impact the long term health and happiness of our society? These are the questions this piece of work inspires us to address.”

NZ Sculpture OnShore selected Hitchens’ work as part of its 2016 exhibition to be showcased on 10-20 November at Fort Takapuna, Devonport. The exhibition is the largest and longest running outdoor sculpture show in New Zealand, featuring over 100 works of art from sculptors throughout Aotearoa. It is also the largest fundraiser for NZ Women’s Refuge, having raised in excess of $1.5 million. NZ Sculpture OnShore is located at 170 Vauxhall Rd, Fort Takapuna, Devonport, Auckland. It is open daily from 10-20 November 2016, 10am-6pm.

-ENDS-

About Artist Dion Hitchens:

Dion creates contemporary art experiences, sharing a lineage of thought that is informed from both New Zealand Maori and Buddhist philosophy. These ideas explore the interconnectedness of all things (Whakapapa). His intent is that through his art experiences, he inspires growth, sharing and stronger connections to our environment, our organisations and to one another. He recently completed work with Fonterra assisting them with the alignment of their company values to cultural stories, through the creation of a touch stone for their foyer. His work can be found in major collections around the country including Te Papa, Waikato Museum and Auckland City Art Gallery. He also has public works with Auckland and Hamilton City Council. He is interested in how the values from the past can inform our actions for the future. He is of Tuhoe, Ngati Porou, (New Zealand Maori), Chinese, English and Scottish descent. A global citizen with a tribal view.

His website can be found at www.dionhitchens.com and he can also be reached atdionhitchens@gmail.com.

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