Recurring Damballah Dream, Renée Stout; Zanatta Editions; Maurice Sanchez; Derriere L'Etoile Studios

In conversation, the pictured works illustrate how Yoruba spirituality and the early Christianity of the Kongo kingdom syncretized. Displaced Kongolese and Yoruba people, enslaved and brought to America, created new spiritual beliefs and practices unique to their cultural circumstances. In the Yoruba tradition, Eshu is an Orisha—a god that rules over the forces of nature. Eshu guards the crossroads between the human and the divine, and acts as a messenger between the almighty god and humanity. He wears a crimson feather atop his head and is sometimes depicted with snakes. Renée Stouts lithographs call upon themes of ritual, dreams, and the interaction between the divine and humanity. In Recurring Damballah Dream, a figure holds a pouch of something and appears asleep. Dreams are an example of a meeting of the divine and human worlds. Damballah, like Eshu, is an Orisha, in this case, the force controlling the sky. Written by Trevor and Sam