Nádia Taquary’s work heavily references Afro-Brazilian sacrality through the use of glass beads, cowrie shells, metals such as brass and copper, and other materials. Ubiquitous in the syncretic Afro-Brazilian religious practices that emerged in defiance of and resistance to the Catholic spiritual hegemony brought by the Portuguese, each of the materials used is rich in symbolic meaning that shifts depending on the geographical context, time of day, year and month, and the respective combination of materials. Cowrie shells, for instance, are predominant in Candomblé spiritual practices and in West African Yoruba religions, singularly used or referenced as a medium or interface of communication between the spiritual and earthly realms. The beads, on the other hand, fluctuate in meaning depending on their materiality (plastic, glass, clay) or their colours. Beads can be consecrated via herbal tinctures to not merely represent the divine, but to become divine themselves. Beyond these rich spiritual references in the work, Taquary is interested in the protagonism of strong women figures present throughout Candomblé. The works in the exhibition reference different orishas (spirits): Yemanyá is known as the mother of all orishas and the patron of rivers; Oxalá, the orisha of creation and procreation; Exú, the chief enforcer of divine laws, or the orisha for orderliness.

Works in the exhibition: Ossain (2018), Czech glass beads, copper, and brass, 170 × 23 × 8 cm; Oxum (2017), Czech glass beads, copper, sterling silver with gold plating, and cowrie shells, 160 × 24 × 11 cm; Yemanjá (2017), Czech glass beads, copper, cowrie shells, sterling silver, and turquoise stone, 164 × 22 cm; Exú (2019), Czech glass beads, copper, and cowrie shells, 195 × 37 × 13 cm; EG03 (2021/2025), ipe wood, bronze, textile, and cowrie shells,  180 × 70 × 50 cm; Abre Caminhos (2013/2024), ebonized coconut, copper, and silver, 350 × 60 × 50 cm. All courtesy of the artist