RAYS: Wanu Yawanawa

RAYS is a poignant photographic exploration seeking to illuminate women whose art serves as both a personal spiritual practice and outward creative expression. Throughout history and across the world, religion and spirituality have often been dominated by male gures and institutions, idolising and worshiping spiritual leaders, resulting in the consistent overshadowing and exclusion of women and other marginalised groups in the practice and participation of these traditions. Drawing from her personal experience growing up in a Su Muslim community, where women faced restrictions on practicing, art became the transformative medium through which Suleika embarked on her spiritual journey. In this project, she pays homage to women who have bravely paved the way for their unique and artistic styles of spiritual practice. The ongoing series promises to uncover and celebrate the myriad ways in which creativity serves as a conduit for the divine. This issue explores the practice of Wanu, an indigenous singer from the Yawanawa tribe, whose songs express sacred wisdom and provide healing.