The Naming: Maya

Nicole Rose Gelormino

Maya

2020

oil on canvas

36 x 48”

Land forms, sausages, and a bat become legs spread apart in a dance or a yoga pose. The vividly colored and textured figure rests and performs on a stained, white oval shape against black. The oval recalls a spotlight, a plate or a pedestal. Maya names a hindu goddess and the essence of which she is responsible for: the fluid life essence of creation. Maya’s role is contested throughout hindu theology and burdened by a conundrum common to cultural all over the globe: woman as creator and life-giver, and woman as magician spinning illusions.