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Welligton Luís Rodrigues was born in the town of Campos (RJ), in 1967, and has been involved with the Afro Brazilian religion of camdomblé since he was 11 years old.Today he is known as Júnior de Odé. His house is entirely white, and it’s impossible not to bow at the entrance. The place is loaded with the calm energy of the Afro Brazilian gods known as orishas. Instead of the guilt that dominates Western religions, camdomblé is full of energy. “The orishas themselves are pure energy, and they can be expressed through the beaded necklaces I make.They are an orisha’s identity” The necklaces are vibrant pieces, each one in a colour related to a different orisha, full of symbols and ornaments, and with a precise number of beads. “I started making the beaded strings for myself, but people started ordering them and now I make them following the Odum kabala, or according to the person’s own orisha. The necklace brings protection to the owner.” Júnior de Odé is inspired by the religion and when he needs to make necklaces ramdomly, for an exhibition instead of a certain person, he follows his intuition. It doesn’t matter. His beads strings are enchanting, and full of a sacred orishas energy that seems to come straight from nature. |
