The title of the Chazen Museum of Art’s new exhibition, Mami Wata: Arts for Water Spirits in Africa and Its Diasporas, is telling. Note that it’s not arts about water spirits; it’s arts for water spirits, in the sense that the makers of these artworks are invested in Mami Wata’s powers and possibilities, both good and bad. We’re talking connection, not mere depiction.
Mami Wata (her name is pidgin English for “Mother Water”) is an African water spirit thought to reside in rivers, seas and other bodies of water. She’s remarkable in her multivalence. She appears in numerous guises, most frequently as a mermaid or snake charmer, and has associations that are both positive and negative, from nurturing mother to dangerous temptress.