Loana
Loana
Original collage on paper featuring Raquel Welch
Framed size 110cm x 80cm
Please click the main image to enlarge
This original collage by Maria Rivans, features Hollywood legend Raquel Welch and weaves together elements of mythology and nature, creating a dreamlike tapestry of strength, freedom, and transformation. She wears an elaborate headdress bursting with life: horses feature heavily through tangled flora, their forms merging with plants and flowers that symbolise growth, vitality, and the untamed forces of nature.
Welch’s portrayal—especially in the now-legendary fur bikini—became an iconic image of 1960s cinema, solidifying her as a symbol of beauty, power, and independence. The title references Welch’s role in One Million Years B.C., a film that cemented her status as a cinematic icon.
The horses embody movement, power, and an instinctual yearning for freedom. They have long been messengers between worlds—earthly and divine, past and future, physical and spiritual. Their presence suggests both wild energy and the grace of control, forces that exist in tension yet in harmony. Elsewhere, a horse drifts through the sky by a balloon, an image that defies expectation and speaks to the surreal possibilities of escape, fantasy, and reinvention.
A Viking woman appears as a sentinel of resilience and fearlessness, her presence embodying an indomitable spirit. She stands as a reminder of strength across time, an echo of histories where women were not just muses but conquerors, seafarers, and storytellers. Loana’s dress is constructed from rosettes, studs, and horse brasses. These metallic elements evoke the armour of Joan of Arc, with the structure resembling a corset of chain mail—both protective and powerful. This fusion of femininity and resilience underscores the central theme: women as warriors, leaders, and icons of transformation.
This piece is a celebration of feminine strength, resilience, and transformation. Through symbols of freedom, endurance, and reinvention, the collage becomes a visual anthem of empowerment, reminding us that strength is not one-dimensional—it is wild, it is beautiful, and it is unstoppable.
liberty-gallery.com
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