Washerwomen

Woodcut print on Werkdruck paper (Edition of 12), 60 x 50 cm, €550

This piece shows the washerwomen of the Itapecuru River from years ago. At that time there was no inside plumbing in the neighborhood. They washed the huge white sheets while sitting on tree trunks at the edge of the river. They spent whole mornings doing this work, while the children played in the water—learning to swim with the little fishes. It was so beautiful to see the white sheets and colorful clothes spread out on the plants to dry. It was a spectacle of colors and shapes.

This piece is from Dreams and Memories, a series of 25 woodcuts I made to honor my beloved hometown of Caxias in Brazil’s Maranhão State. Caxienses are very religious and superstitious people, practicing traditions that come from Yoruba African, indigenous, and Portuguese cultures. The exhibition was held in the small town’s beautiful mansion of Mr. A. Silva, Caxias’s richest man—a place of fear and curiosity.