Symbolic Landscapes

Figurative prints

In my figurative work, I explore the layers of the psyche, navigating emotional and symbolic landscapes that speak to the complexity of human experience. Through the use of myth and archetypal imagery, I reflect on the relationship between the conscious and unconscious mind. The figures I create act as windows into deeper emotional truths, encouraging reflection on how identity and memory are shaped by both personal and shared experiences. My aim is to evoke a thoughtful connection between the individual and the universal, using symbolism to uncover the subtle forces that influence our perceptions and emotions.

On Vulnerability, Power, and Powerlessness

This series reflects moments where we feel most fragile, when life seems to unravel, and we’re left piecing ourselves back together. Vulnerability lies at the heart of these works—those times when we’re at our most open, raw, and uncertain. Yet, within this fragility, there’s also the quiet resilience we often find—the strength to rise, even when it feels impossible.

Power and powerlessness are constant threads. These images capture the loss of control and the slow, painful process of reclaiming it, step by step. They represent the push and pull between what threatens to break us and the part of us that rebuilds, learning and growing stronger with each struggle.

Magikeren draws inspiration from Carlos Castaneda’s Journey to Ixtlan, a story that profoundly influenced my thinking when I first encountered it in the early 1980s during my own search for meaning. The painting reflects Castaneda’s exploration of personal transformation and the journey toward expanded consciousness, though it remains open for individual interpretation. Like Castaneda’s guide, Don Juan Matus, the magician in this piece serves as a symbol of exploration into the unknown. It invites viewers to cross the thresholds between the seen and unseen, encouraging reflection on their own inner journeys and the mysteries of transformation. While the inspiration behind Magikeren is deeply personal, the theme of change and self-discovery resonates universally.

Symbolic Landscapes

On Vulnerability, Power, and Powerlessness

Unn Catrin Vinjor