Portfolio 3
Demerara Mandorla
Steel, jute rice sack, carved and painted calabash, chicken wire, wood, foam, spray paint, acrylic paint, Flashe paint, textiles, beads, flowers, steel screws, glue.
54 x 39 x 9 inches
2020
The mandorla is a sacred shape that appears in both Eastern and Western art – it symbolizes the union of opposites, the overlapping of two spheres (often Heaven and Earth). Demerara refers to the region of South America where my mother is from (Guyana) and the type of sugar (Demerara Gold) that was grown on the plantations that my ancestors were transported to the region to work on. The paint on the wood matches the color of some exterior walls on our family’s rice farm, and the rusted steel, chicken wire, and jute rice sack reference the farm as well.