Dina Goldstein
GODS OF SUBURBIA
Voodoo-Queen Voodoo, 2014
The name was derived from the god Vodun of the West African Yoruba people who lived in 18th and 19th century Dahomey. Slaves brought their religion with them when they were forcibly shipped to Haiti and other islands in the West Indies. Demonized and dramatized, it is a belief system like conventional religions, in that it seeks to make sense of the world and the eternal question: “Why are we here?” This photograph references Voodoo and is homage to African slaves. The setting is a much loved home that is about to be torn down, the young woman who grew up here is surrounded by the ghost-like memories from childhood. In the background, outside, is Papa Legba, who is a Loa, the word for a Voodoo deity. He is the intermediary between the human world and the spiritual world. In Voodoo, the demarcation between life and death is more fluid; helping Voodoo followers create order out of disorder. The snake represents Damballa Veve. He is a snake-god of fertility and the father of all Loa. The chicken feet are a voodoo fetish, and act as protection. The presence of the chicken feet protects and preserves the unseen but nonetheless unbreakable bonds of love and family.
Mounted Transparency with LED LIGHT PANEL
Archival top mounted transparency on acrylic with LED light panel / Framed : add matte inches
Large Edition 1 - 7 Medium Edition 1 - 10 Small Edition 1-20
3”M 39”X50” Panel 33”X 44” 2”M 29.3”X 37.6” Panel 25.3” X 33.6” 1”M 18”X 23.2” Panel 16”X 21.2”
Gods of Suburbia
This is Dina Goldstein’s third large-scale project 2013-2014. The work is a visual analysis of religious faith within the context of the modern forces of technology, science and secularism. The series plays with narrative and religious iconography in order to communicate how organized belief has become twisted within a global framework driven by consumerism and greed. The project challenges the viewer — religious or secular — to embark on a journey of self-reflection as they contemplate the relevance of dogma in modernity.
