Left: Moon Minded the Sun Goes Farther (to the Daughters of Revolutions, Who Could Fly Between the Artibonite and the James River) by Firelei Báez. Right: Monica Rodriguez, Antilles for the Antilleans.
With its burst of blue sea spray and serene expression, the image of Yoruban water deity Yemoja stands in contrast to the glass and steel exterior of the Institute for Contemporary Art and its surrounding streetscape of red brick and asphalt.
The work of Dominican American artist Firelei Báez, the mural, titled “Moon Minded the Sun Goes Farther (to the Daughters of Revolutions, Who Could Fly Between the Artibonite and the James River),” superimposes the water spirit over old maps of Richmond and Philadelphia, as well as imagery from this year’s Black Lives Matter protests at the Lee monument. To Noah Simblist, the mural “signals simultaneously moments of transformation, but also a healing balm over the fires of discord.”