Yemaya Meets Erinle

Yemayá falls madly in love with the beautiful fisherman Erinle. She brings him down to her ocean kingdom and shares all the secrets of the ocean with him. Yemayá is depicted in the painting not as a mother to all, but as a woman embodying desires. After their torrid affair, Yemayá grows tired of her lover. To ensure that Erinle holds his tongue, she cuts it out so that he cannot divulge any of her secrets. Yemayá’s violence and sexual aggression towards Erinle speaks to lust and its consequences.

Exhibitions