Ka’a Body @ Radicants, Paris
Radicants, in collaboration with Paradise Row, presents Ka’a Body: Cosmovision of the Rainforest - Paris (9 November 2022 - 14 January 2023 ), a significant, touring, showcase of art, culture and thought by Indigenous Brazilian artists, and the creative networks that surround them.
Radicants
18 rue Commines
75003 Paris
The exhibition is curated by Indigenous anthropologist and curator Sandra Benites (Guarani Nhandeva), with the curatorial assistance of Brazilian artist Anita Ekman.
Staged at Radicants, an international curatorial cooperative based in Paris, created in 2022 by Nicolas Bourriaud, the show is an iteration and evolution of the exhibition staged at Paradise Row, London, in November 2021.
It explores the relationship between the body and territory as a way of establishing a dialogue between the indigenous and non-indigenous on the history of the forests and bodies, and bringing to light, critical but currently, overlooked narratives; the cosmovisions of Indigenous culture, histories of Indigenous resistance within the Brazilian forests to colonization and commercial exploitation and the role of women in Indigenous art & culture.
The exhibition also work to revise and reform various familiar but problematic discourses, namely the image and idea of about what forests and their peoples are within the global imagination (constructed as it was mainly by 19th century expeditions by European and North American men) and to advocate for the radical intensification of efforts to preserve what remains of the Amazon and Atlantic Forests, biomes where the greatest diversity of plant species on planet Earth are concentrated.
Expansive and inclusive in its representation, the exhibition, across work by XX artists and collectives, encompasses documented performance, film, photography, painting, printmaking, sculpture and traditional indigenous arts. Benites and Ekman focus especially on platforming the work of Indigenous female artists. It includes both artists both known in the domestic and international art scenes and artists who have not previously shown in commercial or international contexts.
The Ka’a Body project manifests, in its internal relationships, concept and structure, the collectivity at the heart of many Indigenous cultures. In each iteration of the exhibition the artists and partner gallery redistribute a portion of sales to support the project itself and offer the exhibition as a platform for the raising of funds and awareness for NGOs dedicated to Indigenous rights and culture in Brazil.
Ka’a Body is a portal between two distant yet connected worlds: the vast, complex world of the rainforests of Brazil (the Amazon and remnants of the Atlantic Rainforest) and Europe, also vast and complex, which, as a centre of global capitalism, profited from these forests on its path to power and dominance.
“Indigenous contemporary art performs a fundamental role in translating the relationships that make up this complex web of the diversity of life in this territory (expressed in the cosmovisions of indigenous peoples), while simultaneously providing a space for denouncing the harsh depletion it has incurred over centuries.
Through the polyphony of voices, colours, and performances of the works that indigenous artists have contributed to the exhibition, ancestral lore crosses current episodes of resistance and points out the need to rethink the relationship between Earth Beings (humans and non-humans) so that efforts may be joined in ensuring the continuity of the diversity of life on the planet.”
“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.”
Sandra Benites
“The Amazon is more anthropogenic than previously thought, meaning that around 60% of the forest was planted, cultivated, and intensively managed by Indigenous hands and minds. Not only is this biome a great cultural creation, but its survival is also a legacy of Indigenous resistance to colonisation, a gift from Indigenous peoples to the world.”
Anita Ekman
About Ka’a Body:
Ka’a Body: Cosmovision of the Rainforest is a touring, commercial exhibition that showcases Indigenous Brazilian art, culture and thought and raises awareness and funds for projects dedicated to Indigenous rights and culture through the donation of a portion of sales by the artists and hosting gallery.
The project was initiated by Indigenous anthropologist and curator Sandra Benites (Guarani Nhandeva), Brazilian artist Anita Ekman and British curator Nick Hackworth.
Ka’a Body premiered in London, in November 2021 at Paradise Row Projects, a non-profit, pop-up, project space run by Pippa Hornby, Nick Hackworth & Mazzy-Mae Green.
Ka’a Body, Paris, in November 2022, presents a new iteration of the exhibition at Radicants, the curatorial cooperative founded by Nicolas Bourriaud.