“Go Laya”

Artist's Inner Monologue:

"Go Laya" honors the quiet, powerful rituals that shape women into wives, not through force, but through community, grace and inherited strength. What struck me was how this ritual , quiet and almost overlooked in mainstream narratives,carries so much weight. I like to refer to it as ‘a side quest’ sometimes , yes, but it’s one packed with ancestral knowledge, vulnerability and the weight of womanhood. “Go laya” isn’t just about instruction,, it’s about welcoming, arming and blessing. The tjale, worn across their shoulders, becomes a symbol of readiness. it's a badge of lived experience. In painting this, I wanted to highlight that layered meaning and give presence to the ritual’s emotional and communal richness. The vivid yellow sky to me is a suggestion of hope, warmth and new beginnings.