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Elian Almeida — Oxum’s Mirror
Elian Almeida — Oxum’s Mirror
Elian Almeida — Oxum’s Mirror
Elian Almeida — Oxum’s Mirror
Elian Almeida

Oxum’s Mirror

2026

Spanning nearly three meters in width, Oxum's Mirror commands immediate attention through its luminous layering of acrylic pigments, which Elian Almeida deploys in cascading veils of amber, gold, and deep verde to evoke the reflective surface of still water. The composition draws on the iconography of Oxum, the Yoruba and Candomblé orixa of rivers, love, and feminine power, translating sacred symbolism into a visual language that feels both ancient and urgently contemporary. Almeida builds texture through repeated gestural marks that accumulate into something resembling light passing beneath a current, generating a sense of depth that shifts as the viewer moves across the work's considerable expanse. At this scale, 156 by 260 centimeters, the painting operates as an enveloping environment rather than a contained object, pulling the viewer into a space that is simultaneously intimate and cosmological. Almeida's practice engages consistently with Afro-Brazilian spiritual and cultural heritage, resisting folkloric reduction in favor of an approach that honors these traditions as living, generative systems of knowledge. The title's reference to a mirror is significant, as Oxum's mirror is her most iconic attribute, a symbol of self-knowledge, vanity reclaimed as power, and the gaze turned inward toward truth. Signed by the artist and currently presented through Nara Roesler, one of Latin America's most respected galleries, this work arrives at a moment of sustained critical and institutional recognition for Almeida's practice. Offered unframed, the canvas retains full flexibility for presentation, and its generous dimensions make it suited to significant private or institutional spaces seeking to anchor a collection around voices redefining contemporary Brazilian painting.

Medium
Acrylic paint on canvas
Overall
Signed
Yes
Location
Nara Roesler, New York, NY

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About this work

Elian Almeida, Oxum’s Mirror, 2026

Spanning nearly three meters in width, Oxum's Mirror commands immediate attention through its luminous layering of acrylic pigments, which Elian Almeida deploys in cascading veils of amber, gold, and deep verde to evoke the reflective surface of still water. The composition draws on the iconography of Oxum, the Yoruba and Candomblé orixa of rivers, love, and feminine power, translating sacred symbolism into a visual language that feels both ancient and urgently contemporary. Almeida builds texture through repeated gestural marks that accumulate into something resembling light passing beneath a current, generating a sense of depth that shifts as the viewer moves across the work's considerable expanse. At this scale, 156 by 260 centimeters, the painting operates as an enveloping environment rather than a contained object, pulling the viewer into a space that is simultaneously intimate and cosmological. Almeida's practice engages consistently with Afro-Brazilian spiritual and cultural heritage, resisting folkloric reduction in favor of an approach that honors these traditions as living, generative systems of knowledge. The title's reference to a mirror is significant, as Oxum's mirror is her most iconic attribute, a symbol of self-knowledge, vanity reclaimed as power, and the gaze turned inward toward truth. Signed by the artist and currently presented through Nara Roesler, one of Latin America's most respected galleries, this work arrives at a moment of sustained critical and institutional recognition for Almeida's practice. Offered unframed, the canvas retains full flexibility for presentation, and its generous dimensions make it suited to significant private or institutional spaces seeking to anchor a collection around voices redefining contemporary Brazilian painting.

Medium
Acrylic paint on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 156 x 260 cm
Year
2026
Signed
Hand-signed by the artist
Seen at
Nara Roesler, New York, NY

Related themes

Reflective Symbolism, Acrylic On Canvas, Brazilian Artist, Vibrant Color Palette, Candomblé Deity, Goddess Portrait, Contemporary Figurative, Afro-Brazilian Spirituality