Keywords: Make-believe, Postcolonial Specters, Rituals artefact , Parafiction, and Narratology

Public space sculpture – Art Rotterdam 2024, van nelle fabriek, with Josilda da Conceição Gallery
Ceramic sculptures with a glazed finish, in various sizes, intricately interwoven with a metal frame (2023–2024).

''Dos Santos'', known for his affinity with narrative complexities, presents La Santeria de Mama II, as a profound gesture of cultural decolonization. The installation centers on the symbolic essence of candles, ritual objects that he meticulously deconstructs to expose and dismantle the hierarchical systems embedded within them. In doing so, Dos Santos raises provocative questions about multi-emigrated identity and the layered histories carried within acts of devotion.

La Santeria de Mama II, unfolds as an installation of stories, each candle functioning as a chapter in an ongoing narrative of cultural resilience. Chosen for their tenacious spirit, the candles become metaphors for the enduring strength of Latin American identities in the face of displacement and colonial legacies.

The vibrant chromatic language of the glazed surfaces disrupts the dominance of monochromatic narratives, generating space for nuanced reflection. By exposing the uncomfortable truths woven into migration histories, the work confronts and unsettles preconceived notions of belonging. The installation thus becomes both an act of resistance and a parafictional stage, inviting a collective re-examination of the societal structures and hierarchies that continue to shape cultural identity.

Santeria de Mama II, extends its presence into public space, where its forms encounter the open air, weather, and collective gaze. The installation reimagines the candle as a floating entity, a vessel of both light and memory, infusing the environment with mysticism and ritual significance. By situating the work outside, its symbolic charge becomes amplified: the act of illumination transforms into a shared gesture of care, resilience, and devotion. In this setting, the interplay between flame, fragility, and transformation becomes inseparable from the rhythms of public life, inviting passersby to enter a moment of reflection, intimacy, and spiritual contemplation.