Author Archives: Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

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About Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

I'm a French artist living near Paris. From 1968 to 1973 I studied at Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Rhode Island, then at the San Francisco Art Institute in San Francisco, California, for my BFA. My work for many decades has been informed and inspired by time spent with indigenous communities. Various study trips devoted to the exploration of techniques and natural pigments took me originally to the Dogon of Mali, West Africa, and subsequently to Yanomami communities in Venezuela and Brazil. Over many years, during the winters, I studied the techniques of traditional Bogolan painting. Hand woven fabric is dyed with boiled bark from the Wolo tree or crushed leaves from other trees, then painted with mud from the Niger river which oxidizes in contact with the dye. Through the Dogon and the Yanomami, my interest in the multiplicity of techniques and supports for aesthetic expression influenced my artistic practice. The voyages to the Amazon Rainforest have informed several series of paintings created while living among the Yanomami. The support used is roughly woven canvas prepared with acrylic medium then textured with a mixture of sand from the river bank and lava. This supple canvas is then rolled and transported on expeditions into the forest. They are then painted using a mixture of acrylic colors and Achiote and Genipap, the vegetal pigments used by the Yanomami for their ritual body paintings and on practical and shamanic implements. My concern for the ongoing devastation of the Amazon Rainforest has inspired my films and installation projects. Since 2005, I've created a perfomance and film project - Fire Sculpture - to bring urgent attention to Rainforest issues. To protest against the continuing destruction, I've publicly set fire to my totemic sculptures. These burning sculptures symbolize the degradation of nature and the annihilation of indigenous cultures that depend on the forest for their survival.

“All the Living World is Interdependent”: A Q&A with Artist Barbara Crane Navarro – Open Americas

Posted on September 24, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

“All the Living World is Interdependent:” A Q&A with Artist Barbara Crane Navarro

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Tout le monde vivant est interdépendant: une question & réponse avec l’artiste Barbara Crane Navarro – Open Americas

Posted on September 23, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project
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Todos los vivos son interdependientes: una entrevista con la artista Barbara Crane Navarro – Open Americas

Posted on September 22, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project
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ARTIST IN RESIDENCE WITH INDIGENOUS PEOPLE? Barbara Crane Navarro interview with Leslie Tate

Posted on September 21, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

Barbara Crane Navarro talks about creating art while living with The Yanomami people in The Amazon Rainforest, and burning her totemic sculptures as a protest against deforestation. Quote: “There’s an occidental concept of art and artists that includes or excludes and … Continue reading →

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ARTISTE EN RÉSIDENCE CHEZ DES AUTOCHTONES ? Entretien de Barbara Crane Navarro avec Leslie Tate

Posted on September 20, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

Barbara Crane Navarro parle de la création artistique alors qu’elle vivait avec le peuple Yanomami dans la forêt amazonienne et de brûler ses sculptures pour protester contre la déforestation. citation : “Il existe une conception occidentale de l’art et des artistes … Continue reading →

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¿ARTISTA EN RESIDENCIA CON PUEBLOS INDIGENAS? Entrevista de Barbara Crane Navarro con Leslie Tate

Posted on September 19, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

Barbara Crane Navarro habla sobre la creación de arte mientras vivía con el pueblo Yanomami en la selva amazónica y quemaba sus esculturas para protestar contra la deforestación. Cita: “Existe una concepción occidental del arte y de los artistas que incluye … Continue reading →

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S’IL VOUS PLAÎT, ÉCOUTER LE MESSAGE DU CHAMAN YANOMAMI – LE PLAIDOYER DE LA FORÊT TROPICALE ! Et découvrez comment nous pouvons aider les peuples Indigènes !

Posted on September 18, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

photo: Renato Soares « Hey – Regardez nous Nous vous voyons Nous avons essayé de vous montrer Vous n’avez jamais pris la peine d’apprendre notre langue Vous regardiez toujours vers le bas Nous vous prévenons depuis le début a terre … Continue reading →

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POR FAVOR, OUÇA A MENSAGEM DO XAMÃ YANOMAMI – O Apelo da floresta! E descubra como podemos ajudar os povos Indígenas!

Posted on September 17, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

foto: Renato Soares « ¡Oye, míranos!Te vemosTratamos de mostrarteNunca te molestaste en aprender nuestro idiomaSiempre estabas mirando hacia abajoTe avisamos desde el principioLa tierra esta vivaEsta tierra no puede ser propiedadEsta tierra somos nosotrosTodos nosotrosQuerías las piedrasOroTus cosas brillantesTítulos – … Continue reading →

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POR FAVOR, ESCUCHA EL MENSAJE DEL CHAMÁN YANOMAMI – ¡EL SÚPLICA DE LA SELVA! ¡Y descubra cómo podemos ayudar a los pueblos Indígenas!

Posted on September 16, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

foto: Renato Soares « ¡Oye, míranos!Te vemosTratamos de mostrarteNunca te molestaste en aprender nuestro idiomaSiempre estabas mirando hacia abajoTe avisamos desde el principioLa tierra esta vivaEsta tierra no puede ser propiedadEsta tierra somos nosotrosTodos nosotrosQuerías las piedrasOroTus cosas brillantesTítulos – … Continue reading →

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PER FAVORE, ASCOLTA IL MESSAGGIO DELLO SCIAMANO YANOMAMI – L’APPELLO DELLA FORESTA PLUVIALE! E scopri come possiamo aiutare i popoli Indigeni!

Posted on September 15, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

foto: Renato Soares « Ehi, guardaci! Ti vediamo Cerchiamo di mostrartelo Non ti sei mai preso la briga di imparare la nostra lingua Guardavi sempre in basso Ti avvertiamo dall’inizio La terra è viva Questa terra non può essere posseduta Questa … Continue reading →

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