Traversing through the Caribbean island of Curaçao, one cannot miss the kind-faced, plus-sized Mama (mother) and Chichi (big sister) figurines scattered around the least expected places.

These sculptures reflect the beauty and strength of the women of Curaçao. With its 2m life-size scale, voluptuous figure and welcoming gestures, the locals and visitors would take every opportunity to take a snap of a warm embrace with a Mama or Chichi.

Looking at Curaçao’s history, its expanding population is a mix of European, Latin American and African cultures from over 50 countries which currently contribute to the rising culture and art scene there.

"My Chichis are very joyful and capture the root of the truth. With regards to body positivity, I think they're big and beautiful. It doesn't mean they're not sporty or not eating healthily. They have their own beauty. To me, they are about national pride, but also about healing. Curaçao is still healing from its past. It has a heavy history. All these thoughts were going through my mind when I came up with an idea that I thought might work; a sculpture that would celebrate voluptuousness, and Curaçaoan women and their heritage.”, says sculptor Serena Israel who took making plus-sized figures into a community-based artists’ cooperative empowering local women to earn and work flexibly around their family commitments.

"Lately, there is a lot of talk about body positivity. The Chichis help with this because they prove the shape of the body has nothing to do with the soul – how you feel, how happy you are, how important you are, and how hard you are working. For me, the sculptures show that women are truly amazing. We come in all shapes and sizes, and with all the colours and happiness in the world.”, says Angelique Martina, a Curaçaoan artist.