A plant-like female form appears entwined within flame-shaped strands, expressing Brazilian sculptor Maria Martins’ interest in the mysticality of the body and interconnected energies. It wasn’t until Martins moved to the United States in 1939 that she explored the folklore of her homeland, especially Amazonian myth, in her imagery. In New York, she met members of the Surrealist circle. These artists, whose approach influenced Martins’ work, viewed Indigenous cultures as more “authentic” than Anglo- European cultures, an admiring but simplistic perspective often colored by stereotypical ideals. Her sculptures often featured writhing fusions of sinuous and biomorphic human, animal, and plant forms.