Reflections of a Baniwa artist

Abstract

In this interview, Denilson Baniwa (Barcelos, Amazon state, 1984) analyses his origin as an activist in the indigenous movement of the Amazon region, working as a graphic designer and social communicator. After moving to Manaus and, later on, to Niterói, Rio de Janeiro state, he took on a more active role as a visual artist and curator. During that time, he grew increasingly cognizant of the impact of the artistic symbols produced by Brazilian academicism in relation to his own history as an indigenous person. Baniwa then analyses the relationship between his art and the environmental crisis, believing that the interdisciplinary nature of his practice is an optimal medium to intervene in reality through the changing of consciousness of onlookers.

Keywords:

• Brazil
• contemporary indigenous art
• Baniwa
• art
• environment
• rainforest
• crisis

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 This interview was conducted at Centro Cultural Hélio Oiticica, Rio de Janeiro, on March 23, 2022.

2 The enactment of the 1988 Constitution – which happened after the end of the military dictatorship that lasted 20 years – was very important for Brazilian indigenous people. This progressive Constitution is still in force today although it is not always respected. The indigenous movement played a leading role in the drafting of the article that gives indigenous people the right to their land and to be different, ending the guardianship of the Brazilian state, which was replaced by self-determination.

3 In Brazil, the demarcation of indigenous territories aims to guarantee the right to land to indigenous peoples. The demarcation sets the real extent of indigenous land, ensuring the protection of its limits and preventing occupation by other parties. In Venezuela, for instance, what is protected is the environment, which may or may not be inhabited by indigenous people.

4 According to Brazilian law, the military should control international borders. As the Baniwa territory falls along the borders of Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela, its land is surveyed by the military. Usually, this protection is provided by the Federal Police in other indigenous territories.

5 Baniwa's video work Azougue 80 (2018) thematizes the problem of mercury pollution caused by mining activities in the Amazon rivers. It shows the artist himself eating plastic-fish bait, standing close to a glass and a recipient full of mercury, only to throw it out; there is also audio of an interview of Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro defending illegal mining activities.

6 Denilson Baniwa makes reference to his solo exhibition entitled Teimosia Amazônida (Amazonida Stubbornness, Centro de Arte Hélio Oiticica, from March 19 to April 23, 2022), where this interview took place.

7 Baniwa's painting Reantropofagia (2019) shows the decapitated head of Brazilian writer Mário de Andrade – who recreated stories of indigenous heroes – along with his book Macunaíma (1928), which are displayed in an open basket with representative elements of indigenous culture. Indeed, the 1920s modernist writer is represented as a black person, which added new layers of meaning to this work. It should be noticed that, nowadays, some indigenous Brazilian artists claim their own representations of Macunaíma; they paint, draw and perform their own versions of this ancestor.

8 Baniwa's performance Hacking the 33rd Biennial of São Paulo happened on November 22, 2018. In the beginning of the uninvited performance, the artist wore a Brazilian jaguar-pattern cape and mask, walking around the exhibition site and placed flowers on the portraits and images of indigenous peoples that were on display. At the end of the performance, he bought an art history handbook at the bookshop, just to tear it up soon after as he did not find indigenous art in it.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Denilson Baniwa

Denilson Baniwa (Barcelos, Amazonas state, 1984) is a Brazilian indigenous artist of the Baniwa people, curator, designer, illustrator, and activist. He is known as one of the most influential contemporary artists in Brazil today due to his commitment in breaking paradigms and advocacy of indigenous peoples. He has participated in exhibitions in Brazil and abroad, including the São Paulo Museum of Art (MASP), São Paulo Biennial, and the Sidney Biennial, among others.

Renato Rodrigues da Silva

Renato Rodrigues da Silva works at Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He received his PhD in Art History from the University of Texas, Austin, USA, and taught at the University of British Columbia and at Emily Carr University of Art + Design, Canada. He published the book New perspectives on Brazilian Constructivism (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2021).

Tami Bogéa

Tami Bogéa works at Celso Lisboa University Centre (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). She received her PhD in Biological Sciences from the University of Connecticut (USA), had a research appointment at the University of British Columbia (Canada), and collaborated in several international projects, including those funded by the United Nations Development Programme, the Global Environment Fund, and the Natural Sciences Museum (London, UK).