On the unassuming intersection of Victoria St. and Duke St. sits Yoni Mudra Art Gallery and Cafe, a sanctuary in the cold, concrete maze of Downtown Kitchener. Stepping inside is like being transported to another world, with the yonic art hung on the walls, the smell of burning incense, the gentle soundscape—all curated by Melissa Finn, the curator and owner of the gallery.
“We have the fountain going in the background. You hear the water, feel the ambience of the lights, see the warm colours of the walls: all intentional to make people feel like they’re home, back in the womb,” Finn said.
The gallery and cafe acts as both a third space for gathering, conversation and coffee and as a sanctuary for the sacred feminine, a place of reverence for the vulva, the vagina and the womb.
The cafe serves a plentiful variety of expertly made coffees and hot drinks, and the gallery has many pieces for sale: prints, jewelry, candles and sculptures are just some of what is offered.
It starts with a clitoral map and becomes more anatomical as the cafe progresses.
“We gradually get more intense as you walk into the room…We have people that walk in and walk out because it’s too much for them. We have other people that feel drawn to come in and go all the way to the barista counter, and then we have a conversation,” Finn said.
Indeed, the latter experience is the one I had and is what drove me to want to sit down with Melissa and learn more about herself, her work and her vision. Finn is a former professor of Political Science whose work took her to Kenya, where she became aware of the struggle against female genital mutilation.
It is out of witnessing this struggle and her own experience as a woman in Western society that her reverence began, as a defiant act against a world always telling women they’re inherently incorrect.
“Women widely report feeling shame and inadequacy because of their vulva. Too much of this, too much of that. Not enough of this. Not enough of that. And where is the ‘normal’ woman?” Finn said.
She tells me she hopes that this space can be one of resistance, likening it to a modern, inclusive incarnation of the eighteenth century political salons of France.
“So in this kind of salon of the twenty-first century we have all these different identities coming in and meeting…This is what I seek to do: [create] a community hub for congregation that is fearlessly engaging in conversation on topics that are taboo, controlled, stymied,” Finn said.
These lofty goals are backed by a packed event calendar focusing on the mind, body and spiri, such as the weekly Red Thread Women’s Embodiment Circle, a weekly pelvic floor workshop and a monthly grounding session. They will also host a Yoni Yoga workshop on Oct. 23 focusing on the womb space.
“It’s about love,” Finn said.
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