Page 98 - ARTE!Brasileiros #50

ENGLISH VERSION BACK TO THE NATURE

Can you exemplify it? decided that I was going to dedicate myself very happy. It made me understand the
Recently I was at a congress talking to artistic work, I couldn’t manage Yandê importance of me being here, that they
about decoloniality and about historical anymore. I left coordination and actions. trusted me.
appropriations and someone provoked me So it is a very important project, which I And after the prize?
saying: “You are talking about decolonization am very proud of, that I still participate There were three moments: to understand
but you are speaking in Portuguese, you are in, but that I am no longer part of the that the indigenous people in the village
articulating your thoughts in a Western front line because I would need a greater knew about my work; after seeing a lot
way that is not Baniwa. How do you want dedication. Other than that, I have been of people who knew my work and who
to talk about decolonization if you don’t use in the indigenous movement, as always, accompanied me; and, in the end, to
indigenous language, since you want to and within discussions about access to realize the scope that the prize had out of
break with this historical process?”. I replied information and access to the university. everything I knew. pIpA was a divider for me,
in Baniwa to her and she didn’t understand. I participate in meetings at universities because I think it made me see a little more
And I said: “This is the reason that we use where they have indigenous groups, I have about how I could work, how far I got and
non-indigenous languages”. If we start participated in meetings of actions to retake how I could communicate with the world
talking about a code that only indigenous territory. Everything I do now is linked to through my work.
people understand, this communication artistic work, to artistic research. You have now talked about your relationship
will be very noisy. What indigenous artists When did you decide to focus almost with your people. You are very careful to
have been doing at that moment is talking entirely on work as an artist? transpose elements of your culture to your
in code that is understandable to most I never had a thought about working as an work, such as religious issues...
people, indigenous or not. I think that at artist or living an artist’s life. In 2015 I was I have this care because within the Baniwa
a certain point on this path we will start invited to make the visual identity, along cosmogony, of creation, there is an ethics,
talking about indigenous codes. But it will with an architect from the Northeast, of the so to speak, that there are several pieces
still be a big process. DjaGuata Porã exhibition, which was held of advice that we have to follow during
Since you raised the issue of decolonization at the Rio de Janeiro Art Museum (MAR) in our lives. One of them, with pIpA, I kind of
/ decolonization, I wanted to know how you 2016/2017. And it turned out that I met the “broke”, which is having to walk discreetly
think it has progressed here. curators Clarissa Diniz, José Ribamar Bessa, around the world, that your actions have to
The decolonization discourse is full of Pablo Lafuente and Sandra Benites, whom be bigger than your image, your presence.
controversies and misunderstandings, I already knew. I had great contact with this Actions and work have to be greater than
because as far as we know, all this started group that worked at MAR. By accident, they our vanity, perhaps that would be the best
with a Latin American woman who started met some of my works and I started talking translation. And another thing that makes
talking and publishing about it. Nobody to these curators about the indigenous me think about what I want to say and what
listened to her, first because she is a woman presence within these spaces. I already had I can say, not that it is an obligation - but as
and second because she is from Latin some discussions about communication, I understand it - is that you live in this world
America. Everything she already said and about access to information and the media. without shaming your people. And I think
published ended up being absorbed by a And we started talking about it from an art this is something I want to take. I want to
group of men from the European academy. history perspective. It turned out that I got live in a world in which my people can be
From there, they started looking at these very involved with this group and we started proud knowing that I will not harm them,
themes. It is all very complex in this speech, to take this discussion to other places, to because I know that the only place I can
starting with the academy only taking into some galleries and to universities. Gradually, go back to is for my people. I can be very
account when a man, straight, white and people got to know some of my works. In successful here, I can travel a lot, I can win
European, talked about. It is also an issue fact, I have always worked with visuality. I a thousand things where I am right now. But
that is still discussed by people who are not can’t say an exact date when I started to if one day something goes wrong, the only
from these “decolonized” places. I think that consider myself an artist, I just know that place that will accept me is with my people.
even we indigenous people when we sign when I saw it, I had all my time dedicated Is it a matter of appropriation?
“decolonize” instead of “decolonize” are a to it and I couldn’t get out anymore. That I don’t know if appropriation... Sometimes
way of putting ourselves in a different place was when I noticed that I couldn’t handle these are things that people don’t have
than what the Western academy discusses. anything other than being an artist. the authority to do. For example, Baniwa
It is a way of putting it that is a different You won pIpa Online last year. How was baskets have a whole symbol, a whole code.
thought, perhaps not the thought, but a it for you? It is an object that activates connections
different position within the discussion. pIpA was a big surprise for me. I was aware between various worlds. If I use a basketry
But in Brazil this is very recent. Elsewhere of what it was because of Jaider Esbell, I have to understand what activations this
in Latin America the discussion is older. Arissana Pataxó and Ibã Huni Kuin who object makes. So these are things that you
And why only now? had already participated. But I didn’t quite have no control over. It is a carelessness,
Brazil is very late and is also not understood understand what pIpA was yet, or the or a lack of understanding, of how the
as a colony. The greatest colonizing fiction importance of it and the scope it had. It indigenous world works, where art does
that we have is that Brazil was independent was a surprise when they sent me an email not disconnect from life and the spiritual
or is independent. Here is the only place in saying that I had been nominated. Firstly, does not disconnect from the natural world,
the Americas that independence came from because I am an artist who does not have so to speak.
the king and not from the people. We copy a background in art, I did not attend the What about discussions about cultural
the lifestyle of other places a lot because school of Fine Arts and neither did this appropriation by others?
we do not accept Brazilians, unlike other circle of people who have a tradition in art. I think theft is theft. If you are a thief, you
places in Latin America. In Bolivia, Ecuador, I am very recent in this world, so I was very have to assume your theft. What bothers
Chile, you see that there is a feeling in which surprised by the nomination. After that, it me about appropriation in art is not theft
people consider themselves children of was very rewarding for me in many ways. itself, but the fiction created on top of theft.
that territory. First of all, for the indigenous population When someone spends a week in a village
You were one of the founders of Yandê Radio, in general, in the village (speaking for my and comes back to find the shaman. This
the first indigenous radio in the country. people, who are there in Rio Negro), art fiction created to justify the theft is what
Are you involved in other projects today? means nothing, this work of exhibitions, of bothers me. It’s like an excuse. I see this a lot
Yandê radio is one of the most important galleries, does not mean anything. It was in some places that I go and there are artists
projects I have ever managed to accomplish. a surprise because I had no idea that they who use patterns, indigenous speeches,
Today it is copied by several indigenous were with me. When there was pIpA and we medicines. It always has a wonderful story
people, it is considered a reference in started to share the link, several people from around everything. It makes me weary.
communication, I heard it in 40 countries. my community, from the Baniwa and other People need to assume “I stole it and I’m
It is a landmark in Brazil. Such radios have people in my region, sent a message saying going to use it here”, because then things
been around in North and South America that they were rooting for me. It was the first become clearer. It is like using indigenous
for a long time. We did this in 2013, far time that I realized that my job was reaching graphics to create a collection of clothes
from what was already produced in Latin this place, that they knew what I was doing and saying that you are valuing the forest
America. Today it is a milestone in what and that they understood what I was doing. and indigenous peoples. No. A print was
is communication, in what is access to Second, it was really cool because they created from indigenous graphics because
communication, in what is strategy. When I mobilized to vote for me. This made me it wants to sell.

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