DEITIES W BY JESSE FRAGA hen fashion photographers Elliot and Erick Jiménez’s mom left them at age 12, they found stability and hope through an Afro-Cuban faith called Lucumí, a form of Santería. The 32-year-olds hope to shed light on the often stigmatized practice through their first-ever solo exhibition at Spinello Projects. “Entre Dos Mundos” — which opened April 16 and runs through June 30 — walks you through the twin brothers’ take on the religion’s mix of Roman Catholicism and the culture of the Yoruba, one of the largest Nigerian ethnic groups in West Africa. “When the Spanish colonized Cuba, they enslaved Yoruban people and forced them to convert from their original faith of Isese to Catholicism,” Erick explains to New Times. “In order for them to continue their practice, they concealed their gods, the deities based on Catholic saints with similar ideals, which is sort of what the show visualizes.” The series ventures outside of the twins’ 14-year career in fashion photography. (They’ve worked for Vogue, Allure, Hermés, and Highs- nobiety, to name a few.) Though their career took off in New York City, the Miami natives brought “Entre Dos Mundos” home. Each editorial-style photograph honors Lucumí saints through ele- gant, grandiose garments worn by ambiguous generations of Carib- bean, Latin American, and African models, including one person with a surprisingly close tie to Yoruba. “It was really interesting to work with one of these guys because es- sentially he’s from Nigeria, where the Yoruban people came from, but he had no idea or understanding of their religion,” Elliot explains. “Of course, you think about the whole image, but especially the people who we’re photographing, for spiritual reasons.” However, this knowledge gap between Yoruba natives and Lucumí beliefs is not uncommon. Elliot emphasizes the impact colonization had on those now living in America. “Here in Miami, there’s such a dense population of Cubans, so most people have some idea of this religion, even if they’re not directly con- nected to it,” Elliot says. “I know people come in with so many as- sumptions or ideas of the religion already.” On first glance, the photos strike the viewer with their bold, color- themed auras based on the energies of common Yoruban orishas, or spiritual deities of the natural world. “Every saint is connected to a color. Like mine is Oshun, who is rep- resented by yellow, so you could give them offerings like yellow flow- ers,” Elliot says. “It’s believed that each orisha chooses someone when you’re born to become sort of your guardian throughout life.” But as you enter each room, you’ll notice dark, eerie tones within the photographs, which personify the mystery behind Lucumí. “They have temperaments, personalities, flaws,” says Erick. “If you know the orisha, and you understand who they were when they were human, they have certain traits representative of who you are.” Erick drew inspiration from his own orisha, which is often repre- 6 6 sented by abundance and water — both flowing and constant. “For my orisha, Yemaya, you can go to the ocean to pray or embrace Twins Elliot and Erick Jiménez visualize Santería at Spinello Projects. MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 MAY 26 - JUNE 1, 2022 NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS |miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com miaminewtimes.com
