Nataal adores ‘A Rose and a Prayer’, the new and strikingly original photo book by Ode. This young São Paulo-based multidisciplinary artist first came on our radar in 2020 when she proposed, curated and wrote From ‘Brazil With Love and Optic Games’, a series of stories for Nataal delving into the work of some of Brazil’s most invigorating Black photographers. She has also worked with Comme des Garçons, curated the exhibition ‘Notes on Travecacceleration’ at Lux in London, and produced the short films, ‘Travesti’ and ‘Divina’, which both stem from Ode’s dedication to celebrating LGBTQIA+ lives through her work.

‘A Rose and a Prayer’ was commissioned by Colorsxstudios and sees her collaborate with photographers Cássia Tabatini and Gabriel Cupaiolo to create a celestial set of images shot in São Paulo’s Cidade Martins neighbourhood and Favela do Coqueiro. “Through my research, an important topic that has emerged for me is religion and sacred symbols,” Ode explains of her visual starting point. “This series is a study of Brazilian iconographies that challenge Western perceptions, which generally ignore the Global South as part of Latin American life.”

Framed by a beautiful text from curator Cairo Clarke, we’re introduced to an alluring world where dreams become nurturing realities and all souls are deemed sacred. A cast of her artist friends – Urias, Alanda Monteiro, Lucas Leto and Novíssimo Edgar – appear wearing sculptural pieces made by Ode that possess special meanings.

“In Brazil, it is common to say a prayer before you go to sleep. My favourite has always been the one directed to divine beings which we call guardian angels. It goes: Divine mercy, always rules, guards, governs, and enlightens me. Amen,” explains Ode. “Therefore, the picture of Urias painted in gold, wearing a piece in the shape of a harp, represents what I imagine these angels look like.”

Edgar becomes a work of art on a plinth and wrapped in bows, while Lucas stands tall and sporty in a moon headpiece and ballet shoes, each image a joy to behold and steeped in spiritual energy. “The image where I’m wearing a pink dress and a star-shaped headpiece of yellow roses alludes to the clothes that Brazilian children’s choir wear on festive dates in churches and schools,” Ode adds. “And the image of the angel is an ode to the little plaster angels that adorned the walls of my childhood bedroom, just as they adorn homes across Brazil to this day.”

A Rose and a Prayer is edited by Romeu Silveira and published by Zero-Editions.

Discover Ode’s Nataal series, From Brazil With Love here

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Published on 20/07/2022