Sonus Vitae by Ashvin Harrison – full view of the original hand painting
Sonus Vitae by Ashvin Harrison – shown in a room setting with a boucle armchair
Sonus Vitae by Ashvin Harrison – detail of the hummingbird's headphone with a landscape
Sonus Vitae by Ashvin Harrison – detail of the wing and feet
Sonus Vitae by Ashvin Harrison – detail of the wing and green splashes
Sonus Vitae by Ashvin Harrison – detail of the feet and signature
Sonus Vitae by Ashvin Harrison – detail of the headphone and wing
Sonus Vitae by Ashvin Harrison – detail of the hummingbird's head and long beak
Ashvin Harrison Australian, b. 1984
105.4 x 80 cm
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At the heart of the composition, a hummingbird emerges in lifelike monochrome — its feathers defined with extraordinary detail and its form suspended in serene stillness. The bird wears a pair of golden headphones, each side reflecting a hand-painted landscape: snow-capped mountains, tranquil waters, evergreen trees, and a glowing moon above. This miniature world within the headphones represents the inner symphony of nature — a sound not heard through ears, but through presence.
From behind the bird, an eruption of expressive colour bursts forth in layers of soft mint, coral, ochre, gold, and black. The motion of these splashes conveys both flight and vibration — as though the energy of sound and movement are inseparable. Harrison’s brushwork and splatter technique merge realism with abstraction, evoking the sensation of music transforming into light, air, and emotion.
Sonus Vitae translates from Latin as “The Sound of Life” — a fitting title for a work that celebrates awareness, connection, and the invisible frequencies that unite all beings. Through his evolving practice of Motusrealism, Harrison captures that fleeting harmony between stillness and expression, form and freedom, silence and sound.