Artist statement:
The Black Madonna is an archetype understood by many scholars to be related to the ancient Egyptian Goddess Isis. Her legacy is marked by passionate identification with the oppressed and with values of justice with compassion, equality, and transformation.
In classical Christian iconography, a sweet-faced Virgin Mary is often depicted standing on a globe, crushing the head of a snake. This image was a brilliant way for the patriarchal church to eclipse Goddess cults: to have the asexual and passive Mary killing off the snake, an ancient symbol of the goddess, wisdom, and transformation .
Meet Mago Contributor Yvonne M. Lucia