IPÊ GUAIÚ

The rise of mining in Amazonia is causing a devastating genocide of indigenous peoples in Brazil. In my artwork, I portray the international model Noah Alef, a Pataxó native Brazilian.

 To create the red paint strokes, I used Urucum, a seed that indigenous communities use to make the colour red. This pigment is used in religious rituals and as a symbol of resistance. The addition of gold leaves represents the mining industry. 

On the reverse side of the image, I included a letter from Pedro Vaz de Caminha, a colonizer who was the first to describe the indigenous people of South America to the European court.