Yemaya is a multimedia installation consisting of The Many Faces of Yemaya and the House of Yemaya. Both of which were created as singular works that also work together as a combined installation.
The Many Faces of Yemaya is dedicated to the Yoruba Oricha, Yemonja also known as Yemaya - Goddess of the Sea. As the title suggests she is emblematic of the Ocean. The accompanying video and the woodcut prints invoke the seven avatar-paths of the goddess in Yoruba beliefs. Various manifestations of water, the sea, rivers, foam, the depths are acoustically referenced in the video through recorded sounds of the various waters. The installation includes seven, 8.4 x 2.75 foot woodcut prints on satin fabric, framed in batik fabric from Ghana, West Africa, as well as additional metallic fabric, hand-made and printed abaca paper, shells, sea stars, crystals, and wood also representing the oceans. Each panel depicts “los siete caminos de Yemaya the seven paths taken by the Yoruba Orisha Yemaya: Yemaya Achaba, Yemayá Akuará, Yemayá Awoyo, Yemayá Okuté, Yemayá Asesú, Yemayá Konlá and Yemayá Mayoleo.
In the House of Yemaya the artist presents Yemaya living in the bottom of the sea with Olokun, her father and the owner and master of the ocean. Yemaya is shown as a mermaid on the inside of the house and as the Virgin of Mercy /La Virgen de Regla on the outside. The house is composed of six large woodcuts, printed on satin and framed with batik fabric, to create the three walls that anchor the house. Waves made of cloth, embellished with beads, shimmering glass and shells comprise the floor installation.
In Yoruba cosmology, the Orisha Olokun is said to either be the father of Yemaya or an aspect of Yemaya. They live together at the bottom of the ocean. Olokun’s main function is to bring equilibrium. Olokun provides the essence of life -- shelter and nourishment -- to many of Earth’s creatures.
- Created: 2000-2001