PORTRAITS OF MAMI WATA [2023]

In Nigeria, all bodies of water are revered as sacred dwelling for Mami Wata—a hybridized, femme-presenting, shape-shifting God whose influence spans fertility, wealth, and healing within African and African diasporic devotional practices. Traditionally, artistic depictions of Mami Wata have aimed to capture the entity’s enigmatic nature, manifesting in various forms—a mermaid with non-African traits, “pseudo-Hindu snake charmer”, “human-fish goat-priestess”, mudfish, among other manifestations.

These AI-generated portraits, however, take a different approach by drawing inspiration from Nigerian folktales that depict Mami Wata exclusively in human form. In these narratives, Mami Wata often assumes the role of a femme fatale or a benevolent stranger, intriguing and beguiling in equal measure. In these AI-generated interpretations, Mami Wata's hybrid essence is expressed through a hairstyle that echoes elements of the aquatic realm—fish scales and fishbones.