Jody Pinto, Landscape with Fingers – For Dani Women

The Dani women of Indonesia have a tradition of amputating a finger at the death of a loved one, a sign of respect and mourning. As an ode to these women, Pinto depicts detached human fingers stretching across a dark, mysterious landscape like a bridge. On a symbolic level, societies build bridges to form connections and create relationships with others. This difficult image suggests both connection and loss, meanings embedded in the artist’s wonderful bridge across the Wissahickon Creek, the Fingerspan Bridge.