Denilson Baniwa, Baniwan, born 1984
Azougue 80, 2019
Azougue 80 is a short video piece of art by Denilson Baniwa, who is an indigenous artist from the village of Darí (in Rio-Negro). His work centers around the idea that art is an important form of expression and communication of political protests and environmental justice work. In this work, he sits at a table with artificial fishing lures and a glass of mercury (where the title “azougue 80” comes from), and he begins eating and spitting them out. In the background, there is a recording of Jair Bolsonaro discussing the benefits of gold mining. The disturbing piece is referencing the contamination that has occurred in indigenous areas due to Bolsonaro’s decisions regarding mining in the Amazon area, and it demonstrates the health hazards and life-altering impacts these destructive actions cause for native peoples. Label by Maeve Marsh