Reclining Mermaid is a monumental site-specific billboard by Elliot & Erick Jiménez, first generation Cuban American twin photo duo. The work is a portrait of Yemaya, the deity syncretized with our Lady of Regla in Cuba, and ruler of the seas — her shimmering dress resembling the refraction of the ocean’s surface. The figure is mostly obscured with the exception of her eyes; a customary feature within Elliot & Erick’s artwork, the eyes remaining present in the image serves as posterity to the history of Cuba’s colonialism and blending of Spanish and West African traditions.
VIDEO GALLERY
Elliot & Erick Jiménez: Reclining Mermaid
DATE: Tuesday, Nov 7, 2023