This painting by Suchitra Mattai is supported by a vintage fabric depicting a Baroque looking, colonial-era pattern. Shining through the pattern is the glowing form of a Vajra, a ritualistic weapon within Vedic traditions, symbolic of indestructible spirit and irresistible spiritual power. Wielding the weapon from the shadows is a woman. Found accouterments such as faux fur and trim cover the edge of the painting, adding layers of complexity, beauty, and depth to the colonial pattern. Mattai’s work connects the stories and lost histories of her Indo-Caribbean heritage with her own experience as a Guyana-born woman living in America. The materials and methods she uses to create her works reference the domestic labor performed by generations of women in her family who lived in the Caribbean as indentured servants from South Asia after slavery was abolished. Erased and forgotten folklore is recovered in Mattai’s work, while layers of joy and genius are added.