:: 2004 :: 59cm x 84cm :: Inks and Markers on Card ::
Infused with spiritual ideas from the Desana people of the Colombian Orinoco basin, this piece is derived from mythology relating to the hallucinogenic tree virola theiodora or vihó as the resulting hallucinogenic snuff is known. The Desana hold that within the churning murky liquid of the Milky Way dwells a very powerful being called Viho Man, and any vision or sacred power granted during the ingestion of the bark of the virola tree is given by the permission of Viho Man alone. Thus we see this most sacred being at the top of the picture, visionary boons and powers falling from his bag of Viho magic onto the shaman. The magic enters the shaman at the base chakra and upwards. Lightning bolts emerge from the hands upwards towards Viho Man, and thus this piece expresses a flow of magic and sacred power between the powers that grant them and the people that receive them. In essence, it's a sacred cycle...
