Umbanda entities’ imaginary

Dilemas in shared aesthetics over plaster images

Abstract

The study of the evolution of plaster images of Umbanda entities, sold in religious goods stores, including a brief history of its most expressive manufacturer (Imagens Bahia), reveals social and behavioral changes over time. The images of the so-called left-wing entities, exus and Pomba-giras, reflect dilemmas involving the exposure of sexuality and a certain degree of zoomorphism. At the same time, the different opinions of devotees on whether to cover the breasts of Pomba-giras in statues and represent exus with the bodily parts of animals challenges the manufacturer/designer to reconcile such divergences in the production of statues, having to update them from time to time without losing tradition. This research reveals that a combination of spiritual revelation and social construction determines the imagination of Umbanda entities. Regarding agency, there is a dialectical process in which sometimes believers are influenced by the plaster representations, and sometimes devotees determine them.