A devi (goddess) sits at the opening end of a vagina, a knife and fork at the ready. Within the vagina, serpents serve as the fallopian tubes, while a pundit (priest) sits within the uterus, a reminder of where we all originate from. A lotus blooms up the cervix, a universal symbol of purity and beauty, and Riya’s way of destigmatizing and demobilizing the constructs that render speaking of, and displaying the vagina, taboo. The use of calendars symbolizes the life cycles of the egg, and also nods to her inspiration for her newer works, 20th century calendar advertisements from India and China, the former of which often deployed religious iconography to sell everyday products. References from Chinese propaganda, including the text at the bottom, which translates to “Awakened peoples, you will certainly attain the ultimate victory!” is a call to start dencensoring, realizing, and accepting the truth surrounding the power of the female body.

“At the summit of the world, give birth to the father; my womb is in the midst of the waters, in the ocean. Thence I extend through all the worlds and reach up to yonder sky with my greatness…the Devi’s womb (Yoni) sometimes translated as ‘origin’ or ‘home,’ is her creative power…from this emanates the whole of the universe” – Deva Datta Ka Li, In Praise of the Goddess: The Devimahatmaya and its Meaning.