H1B1 Visa Girl; Indentured I-485 Green Card Goddess

"H1B1 Visa Girl: Indentured Green Card Goddess"
48" wide x 60", acrylic on canvas. It is me remembering the story of my grandmother's ancestors who came to Jamaica as indentured servants from China. Her clothing references body wrapping; figure uprooted and hovering in place, not yet planted. Her eyes convey hope to the future generations that will come after her. "The Goddess in Every Girl" by Marie-Jeanne Abadie encourages readers to explore their female family history and get a jump on taking control of their own goddess life.

Kali

"Kali" 60" wide x 48" high, acrylic on canvas. My contemporary Kali is a global female warrior focused on clearing paths. She holds a Gil Hibben wood knife design, here I have made the knife stone referencing a story of the White Knife Clan people who carried white stone knives. Click here to read more about Kali Ma an often misunderstood goddess.

Kali is also a reality based martial arts system in the Phillipines, employing the use of several weapons.

Devotional Bengali music is known as Shyama Sangeet and features themes around the Hindu Goddess Kali.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ia4DWUBqEKY

Jamaica is home to many Indians who came as indentured laborers, they make up the second largest ethnic group in the island, the first being Africans. (Hinduism had an influence on the Rastafarians who often refer to marijuana as Kali- the Hindu goddess whose name means"great black mother whose invoking is usually associated with the lifting of sagging spirits). The vintage B&W photo from the National Library of Jamaica features two indian girls in Jamaica cooking rice (date unknown). To read more about the history of Indians in Jamaica click here.