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.

« Quieren encontrar ORO, ¡fue su codicia lo que mató a la mayoría de nuestros mayores hace mucho tiempo! Los hombres *blancos con dinero quieren más. Quieren destruir más. Es su tradición, ¡no tienen límites! »

Posted on July 3, 2021 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

« En el pasado, no teníamos que hablar del bosque con ira porque no conocíamos a todas estas blancos devoradores de tierra y árboles. Nuestros pensamientos estaban tranquilos. Solo escuchamos nuestras propias palabras y canciones de los espíritus xapiri. Esto … Continue reading →

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Indigenous Communities in Danger of Being Erased from the Map in Brazil – “We were already on this land before Brazil was Brazil” — HUMAN WRONGS WATCH

Posted on July 3, 2021 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

Human Wrongs Watch By Chris Greenberg* “We were already on this land before Brazil was Brazil,” —Eliseu Lopes, Indigenous leader . Indigenous Peoples protest in Brasilia, Brazil. © Andressa Zumpano 1 July 2021 (Greenpeace International)* —  After living on and … Continue reading →

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Venezuela: Indígenas aislados, grupos ilegales y Covid-19 — Ecoamazônia

Posted on July 3, 2021 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

Los jödi, yanomami y uwottüja en aislamiento voluntario se ven amenazados por las invasiones que provocan las actividades extractivas y por la presencia de grupos ilegales en la región: al impacto ambiental se suman los efectos socioculturales y sanitarios. Los … Continue reading →

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« Eles querem encontrar OURO – foi sua ganância que matou a maioria dos nossos anciãos há muito tempo! Homens *brancos com dinheiro querem mais. Eles querem destruir mais. É a tradição deles – eles não têm limites! »

Posted on July 2, 2021 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

« No passado, não tínhamos que falar sobre a floresta com raiva porque não conhecíamos todos esses brancos devoradores de terras e árvores. Nossos pensamentos estavam calmos. Só ouvíamos nossas próprias palavras e canções dos espíritos xapiri. Isto é o … Continue reading →

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Somos todos Xokleng pelo meio ambiente e contra o “marco temporal” — Mágica Mistura✨

Posted on July 2, 2021 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

Por Joenia Wapichana, deputada federal (Rede/RR), nascida na Raposa Serra do Sol, Sonia Bone Guajajara, coordenadora executiva da Articulação dos Povos Indígenas do Brasil (Apib) e Ana Patté, integrante da Apib e do povo Xokleng… 249 more words Somos todos Xokleng … Continue reading →

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Desmatamento e seca se somam em nova temporada de fogo na Amazônia —

Posted on July 2, 2021 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

Há quase 5 mil quilômetros quadrados de área, quase quatro vezes o município de São Paulo, com vegetação derrubada e seca só esperando alguém chegar com o fogo. A estação seca de 2021 na Amazônia traz uma sobreposição de fatores … Continue reading →

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« Ils veulent trouver de l’OR – C’est leur avidité qui a fait mourir la plupart de nos aînés il y a longtemps! Les hommes *blancs qui ont de l’argent en veulent plus. Ils veulent en détruire plus. C’est leur tradition – ils n’ont aucune limite ! »

Posted on July 1, 2021 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

« Dans le passé, nous n’étions pas obligés de parler de la forêt avec colère parce que nous ne connaissions pas tous ces Blancs mangeurs de terres et d’arbres. Nos pensées étaient calmes. Nous n’écoutions que nos propres paroles et … Continue reading →

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Povos indígenas na luta pela terra — Tecido de vozes

Posted on July 1, 2021 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

Indígenas pedem força aos Ancestrais em frente ao prédio da Funai Em Brasília, vários representantes dos povos indígenas estão reunidos em protesto ao Marco Temporal. Conforme o Isa (Instituto Socioambiental), a tese do marco temporal diz “que apenas os povos … Continue reading →

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Brasil é citado na ONU por risco de genocídio de indígenas — Ecoamazônia

Posted on July 1, 2021 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

Pela primeira vez, situação dos indígenas no País é mencionada por conselheira para prevenção do genocídio no Conselho de Direitos Humanos das Nações Unidas O Brasil foi citado nesta segunda-feira (28/06) pela primeira vez no Conselho de Direitos Humanos da … Continue reading →

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« They want to find GOLD – Their avidity was what made most of our elders die long ago! *White men who have money, want more. They want to destroy more. That’s their tradition – they’ve got no limit! »

Posted on June 30, 2021 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

« In the past,  we were not forced to talk about the forest with anger because we did not know all these white people land and tree eaters. Our thoughts were calm. We only listened to our own words and … Continue reading →

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