KA’A BODY: Cosmovision of the Rainforest is the first international exhibition of indigenous art from Brazil. Comprising of range of mediums: film, photography, painting, printmaking, sculpture and other traditional indigenous arts. The show is curated by an indigenous curator at Paradise Row Gallery in Soho.
Installation view of Ka’a Body. Photograph: Mirko Boffelli
Set up as a one-year non-profit project, Paradise Row aims to show exceptional selection of cultural shows, which core themes revolve around the social and environmental impact. Featuring artists from London, UK and the rest of the world, each event is fundraising money for a specifically selected and urgent cause.
Showing emerging artists alongside well-established names, the Gallery became a platform to spot new talents in variety of disciplines. With each exhibition, Paradise Row transforms completely as a space to enhance the experience of the viewers.
Installation view of Ka’a Body. Photograph: Mirko Boffelli
Curators of Ka’a Body – Sandra Benites, curator of Brazilian Art at MASP, and Anita Ekman look at the role of indigenous women artists across selection of mediums.
The show includes famous names of the Brazilian contemporary art scene Denilson Baniwa, Daiara Tukano and Jaider Esbell and critically acclaimed filmmakers, photographers, and performers such as Anita Ekman and Edu Simões; as well as the creative collectives of Indigenous women artists from Amazonian communities.
Installation view of Ka’a Body. Photograph: Mirko Boffelli
The theme of the exhibition is discovering the bond between the body and the territory as a method of connecting indigenous and non-indigenous on the history of forests and bodies.
The show becomes a route to merge two very different worlds of the wild, complex rainforests of Brazil and also complex, yet so dissimilar to it, London – the heart of capitalism, which greatly continuous to profit from the resources of the Amazon.
Kume Assurini, JUAKETE – Pintura Verdadeira Plana, 2021. Photograph: Mirko Boffelli
Sandra Benites says “The artworks in this exhibition reflect the worldviews of the Indigenous people, which are inseparable from the forest. We launch this exhibition to open a true dialogue which will enable healing and create a space of exchange with the other through these artworks.”
Yakakumalu Wauja (Coletivo Wauja), Untitled (Ceramic Pot II). Photograph: Mirko Boffelli
All the profits from the exhibition will be donated to help promoting the cultural heritage of Indigenous people and preserving the Amazon.
by Olga Petrusewicz
Ka’a Body: Cosmovision of the Rainforest is on until January 29, 2022
More information can be found here.