Inki the Octopus
About the Piece
In this piece, artist Caroline Udell taps into the magic within the multitude of holidays that are celebrated during December cross-culturally. Inki the Octopus invites viewers into a multi-armed, multi-faceted world of festivities.
Artist Bio
Caroline Udell [she/they] is an artist in Philadelphia working across sculpture, video, drawing, and fashion. Their favorite holiday traditions are LumiNature at the Philadelphia Zoo and their family's annual Festivus party.
Stop by and see if you can find all 10 objects that Inki has with them. Each art object celebrates a different cultural holiday tradition!
- Chinese lantern | Lunar New Year
The red of the lantern symbolizes luck and prosperity
- Christmas Tree | Christmas
The first Christmas trees were decorated with apples, paper, and real candles
- Diya | Diwali
Lighting these clay lamps represents the triumph of knowledge over ignorance
- Dreidel | Hanukkah
This top gets its name from the Yiddish word dreyen, meaning to spin
- Fanal lantern | Haitian tradition
These paper houses illuminate the windows of Haitian homes throughout December
- Güiro | Las Parrandas
An instrument made from a hollowed-out gourd, used in Puerto Rican and Cuban music
- Kinara | Kwanzaa
The seven candles represent seven principles, one of which is umoja, meaning unity
- Mistletoe | Yule
The tradition of kissing under this plant dates back thousands of years
- Piñata | Las Posadas
A papier-mâché hollow sculpture in the shape of a seven-pointed star
- Tangyuan | Dongzhi Festival
A sweet dessert made from glutinous rice formed into colorful balls
Installation by Caroline Udell
Supporting Artists
Kt Carney, Ali Ruffner, Rijbergen Desroches, Reshma and Vish Krishna
Chinese Culture & Arts, Chinatown, Philadelphia
Elke at The Blue Mermaid, Rincón, Puerto Rico
