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.

The Amazon Rainforest, Indigenous Peoples and Wildlife in Peril! – a series of short films by Barbara Crane Navarro – 8 – « Totemic Light Sculptures II – Yanomami shamanic chants – Mixed media art installation » 1:19

Posted on October 29, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

Yanomami shaman struggle against xawara – the smoke of epidemics – art installation with sounds of many Yanomami shaman chanting to protect the community! The Yanomami shaman who fight the xawara epidemic diseases see their image appear in the form … Continue reading →

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The Amazon Rainforest, Indigenous Peoples and Wildlife in Peril! – a series of short films by Barbara Crane Navarro – 7 – « Totemic Light Sculptures – Yanomami shamanic chants – Mixed media art installation I » :49

Posted on October 28, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

Yanomami shaman struggle against xawara – the smoke of epidemics – art installation with sounds of many Yanomami shaman chanting to protect the community! The Yanomami shaman who fight the xawara epidemic diseases see their image appear in the form … Continue reading →

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The Amazon Rainforest, Indigenous Peoples and Wildlife in Peril! – a series of short films by Barbara Crane Navarro – 6 – « Totemic Sculptures – Grace Teshima Gallery Exhibit » 4:04

Posted on October 27, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

In « Totemic Sculptures – Grace Teshima Gallery Exhibit » textured paintings plus two totemic sculptures, one in canvas and one in metal, alternate with scenes of Yanomami life in the Amazon rainforest on a small screen. The elements of the two … Continue reading →

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The Amazon Rainforest, Indigenous Peoples and Wildlife in Peril! – a series of short films by Barbara Crane Navarro – 5 – « The Forest is Burning – Art Installation » 5:22

Posted on October 26, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

« The Forest is Burning – Art Installation » alternates scenes from the « Fire Performance » burning of one of my totemic sculptures at the art space La Miroiterie in Paris with the « Fire Performance » burning of another of my totemic sculptures in … Continue reading →

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Un Miraggio Mortale: la nuova “Fondazione” Cartier —L’ARTE DEL LAVAGGIO VERDE dei COMMERCIANTI D’ORO con le loro stesse parole —2025!

Posted on October 25, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

Nell’Utopia di Thomas More (1516), “l’oro e le pietre preziose non hanno alcun valore. Sono gravati dal peso del sangue, della schiavitù e della follia umana.“ Fondazione Cartier – 2, place du Palais-Royal, Parigi Foto: © Luc Boegly Sistemata — … Continue reading →

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Un Espejismo Mortal: la nueva “Fundación” Cartier — el ARTE del LAVADO VERDE por los COMERCIANTES del ORO en sus propias palabras — 2025

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

En la Utopía de Tomás Moro (1516), “el oro y las piedras preciosas no tienen ningún valor. Están cargados con el peso de la sangre, la esclavitud y la locura humana.“ Fundación Cartier – 2, place du Palais-Royal, París Foto: … Continue reading →

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Uma Miragem Mortal: a nova “Fundação” Cartier — A ARTE DE LAVAGEM VERDE pelos COMERCIANTES DE OURO em suas próprias palavras — 2025!

Posted on October 23, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

Na Utopia de Thomas More (1516), “o ouro e as pedras preciosas não têm valor algum. Eles carregam o peso do sangue, da escravidão e da loucura humana.“ Fondation Cartier – 2, Place du Palais-Royal, Paris Foto: © Luc Boegly … Continue reading →

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Un Mirage Mortel : la nouvelle “Fondation” Cartier — L’ART de l’éco-blanchiment par les MARCHANDS d’OR dans leurs propres mots — 2025 !

Posted on October 22, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

Dans l’Utopie de Thomas More (1516), “l’or et les pierres précieuses n’ont aucune valeur. Ils sont chargés du poids du sang, de l’esclavage et de la folie humaine.“ Fondation Cartier – 2, place du Palais-Royal, Paris Photo : © Luc … Continue reading →

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A Deadly Mirage: Cartier’s New Foundation “Museum” — The ART of GREENWASHING by the MERCHANTS of GOLD – in their own words – 2025!

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

In Thomas More’s “Utopia” (1516), “gold and precious stones have no value. They carry the weight of blood, slavery, and human madness.“ Fondation Cartier – 2, Place du Palais-Royal, Paris Photo: © Luc Boegly Fittingly housed in a former department … Continue reading →

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The Amazon Rainforest, Indigenous Peoples and Wildlife in Peril! – a series of short films by Barbara Crane Navarro – 4 – « Fire Sculpture Performance at the Mairie du 2ème, Paris, France » 4:18

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

« Fire Sculpture Performance at the Mairie du 2ème, Paris, France » alternates scenes from the « Fire Performance » burning of one of my totemic sculptures during the collective art exhibition at the Mairie de 2ème, Paris, France – in support of the Indigenous … Continue reading →

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