Brazilian artist Ode speaks upon the skewed Western perceptions of Latin America with new photobook "A Rose and a Prayer”.
PHOTOGRAPHER: CÁSSIA TABATINI AND GABRIEL CUPAIOLO
Brazilian multidisciplinary artist Ode has taken upon inspirations from her curatorial fellow Cairo Clarke’s 2022 poem A Rose and a Prayer to speak upon sacred Latin American symbols, and the elements that connect Brazil with the rest of the continent. The two photoshoots, staged in the Cidade Martins neighbourhood and Favela do Coqueiro, São Paulo, are a study of Brazilian iconographies that challenge Western perceptions, which generally ignore the Global South as part of Latin American life.
“In Brazil, it is common to say a prayer before you go to sleep. My favourite has always been the one directed to divine beings which we call guardian angels. It goes: Divine mercy, always rules, guards, governs, and enlightens me. Amen,” explains Ode. “Therefore, the picture of Urias painted in gold, wearing a piece in the shape of a harp, represents what I imagine these angels look like.”
PHOTOGRAPHER: CÁSSIA TABATINI AND GABRIEL CUPAIOLO
The artist’s curious spirit has led her to constantly ponder upon the connection between religion and culture in Brazil, as well as how modern-day elements meet sacred symbols, their roots and their shifted meanings across time.
“The image where I’m wearing a pink dress and a star-shaped headpiece of yellow roses alludes to the clothes that Brazilian children’s choir wear on festive dates — such as Christmas and Mother’s Day — in churches and schools,” she says. “Also, the image of the angel is an ode to the little plaster angels that adorned the walls of my childhood bedroom, just as they adorn homes across Brazil to this day.”
Commissioned by COLORSxSTUDIOS last year, A Rose and A Prayer was photographed by Cássia Tabatini and Gabriel Cupaiolo.
