Mischief Maker
Mischief Maker is part of a series I painted focusing on symmetry. In this painting, I featured one of the many Orisha’s found in Santeria, an Afro-Cuban folk religion brought over by African slaves, which was merged with Catholicism. An Orisha is a spirit that offers protection or other qualities to those who invoke its powers, as found in various syncretic religions worldwide, such as Santeria, Voodoo, or Candomblé, to name a few. In this case, I depicted Ibeji, a single orisha manifested as a set of twins who offer joy, happiness, abundance, and mischief-making. The twins are Taewo (male, red) and Kehinde (female, blue) and are represented in the painting by a rooster and chicken head.
Oil on canvas
36”x48”
(2019)
Exhibited and sold at Thompson Landry Gallery in Toronto, ON (2021).
Related works: Bluewater, False Memories in a Dream, Ogun, Pastoral, Yemaya, Ein Sof, and Starting Something You Can't Finish.