Text 1 - If it is planted, it shall grow!

The land we here discovered is the richest and fullest of trees one can conceive... The land is wonderful, lavish with valleys and hills, wide and deep rivers... It is so bounteous that anything one sows within it shall grow...

 Letter of Pedro Vaz de Caminha to the King of Portugal, Dom Manuel I, May 1st, 1500

Text 2 - A great green ocean...

Many speak of the Amazon as if it were a great green ocean; that conveys a mistaken sense that the forest would be infinite and, therefore, deforesting a bit here and there would be of no problem... 

Victor Moriyama, Dreaming the Forest, Culturescapes Festival, Basel, 2021

Text 3 - Destruction of the Amazon 

We are experiencing a climate emergency...

With the knowledge of the communities that live in the forest and with the contributions from science, we could find satisfactory means to reverse this situation...

                                                                                The challenge has come. It is time to act!

Victor Moriyama, the New York Times, July 30, 2019 

Amazonas, Entranced Earth: photographs 

by Victor Moriyama

This exhibition was selected to open the Third Edition of the Pinacoteca Art Project, in the year when Brazil hosts the COP 30 - United Nations Climate Change Conference in Belém do Pará, state of Amazônia. 

The images and insights proposed in the exhibition are staged at the core of discussions to be held at the event. Their author strives to report and represent, globally disclosing the crises, agents, consequences, and potential solutions through a photographic art that mobilizes powerful visual discourses.

The Vision of Paradise

In the late 1990s, historian Cid Prado Vale, while asking what were Brazilians most proud of in this land, received a surprising answer: nature. Both Carnaval and soccer trailed nature in the national imaginary.

In Brazil’s first official document, Pero Vaz de Caminha strongly praised the virtues of the land, always emphasizing the natural blessings of the flora, fauna, and indigenous people, insinuating it was nearly Paradise, as pointed out by Sérgio Buarque de Holanda. 

Brazilians’ emotional connection with such wealth, taken as a true gift and an apparently inexhaustible one, was consolidated as a symbol of purity and beauty, and is affirmed by contrast with the progressive degradation of the urban socio-cultural and environmental conditions. 

However, the reasoning that today prevails on general culture and the system of art seeks an active deconstruction of that colonial heritage, encouraging the protagonism of artists who are indigenous, afro-descendant, and from other historically marginalized groups. 

Photographer Victor Moriyama acts with that background, practicing what at the time of filmmaker Glauber Rocha – author of the awarded film whose title inspires this exhibition – was called engaged art.

Post-structuralist philosophy provided critical tools for the art to expand its approach over power, discourse, and identity, questioning Eurocentrism, colonialism, and the hierarchies of powers with their respective symbolic systems that structured culture and art.  

The Past is not Still

The dominance of the academic style in art was replaced by the modernism of the 1910-50s, bearing the positive valuation of Brazilian national identity. Later in the 1950-60s, the neo-concrete movement explored the interaction between spectator and the work of art in paintings, objects, three-dimensional works, immersive and audiovisual installations in spaces that were not necessarily museums.

In that context, Helio Oiticica coined the term participant, as if in a premonition, opposed to the passive stance of the previous spectator of visual arts. That perspective was shown to be particularly relevant in appreciating participatory and critical art, which, through digital media – hegemonic today –, became one of the protagonists of contemporary culture. 

The Photographic Art of Victor Moriyama

The assemblage presented is organized into four different environments, each corresponding to thematic focuses and interconnected problematics, which complement each other expographically in this exhibition. 

Those images cast light on contemporary engaged art, characterized by the incorporation of an active intellectual dimension, articulated in networks, groups and visions shared with the artist.

It is easy to realize that his photographs dialogue with contemporary language seeing as they document real situations – and not mere representations – directly emerging from the problematic addressed: the devastation of the Amazon. 

In the body of that visual document, fruit of rigorous investigative journalism, emerge characters that are rooted in the socio-economic and cultural background of the region portrayed. The images capture the nature, humor, climate and latent tensions, composing a complex text of the underlying plot that, without those records, would hardly come to light. 

That type of artistic genealogy – which questions and resignifies previous statutes – in the sense given by Michel Foucault, of unveiling historical conditions and power relations –, is by and large admirable.

It reveals courage and, beyond that, a personal vocation that merits recognition and reflection.

Carlos Zibel and Antonio Carlos Cavalcanti Filho, curators. 

Captions: Room 01

Jaguar Head - 20x20 cm - Photo print on cotton paper

Jaguar Head in the shape of a mask, Macüã Kamãnawa village, state of Acre, 2024.

THE SCREAM - 40x40 cm - Photo print on cotton paper

Indigenous native from the Wajãpi ethnic group during the Kassiri ceremony, state of Amapá, 2017.

Riddled with bullets - 20x20 cm - Photo print on cotton paper

Demarcation sign of the Uru Eu Wau Wau Indigenous Land, state of Rondônia 2019.

Death -  40x40 cm - Photo print on cotton paper

Tree felling in forest management near the town of Melgaço, state of Pará, 2019.

Mining Operation - 20x20 cm - Photo print on cotton paper

Ibama operation against illegal mining in the Yanomami Indigenous Land, state of Roraima, 2023.

Desolation - 40x40 cm - Photo print on cotton paper

Residents of a farm area in the town of Cláudia observe the fire in a forest area, state of Mato Grosso, 2020.

Smokescreen - 20x20 cm - Photo print on cotton paper

Fire in a pasture and forest area in the state of Rondônia, 2021.

Impotence - 40x40 cm - Photo print on cotton paper

Agents of Prev Fogo, National Force, and Army during firefighting actions in Rondônia, 2019.

The Fall - 20x20 cm - Photo print on cotton paper

Fire in a farm area in the town of Cláudia, state of Mato Grosso, 2020.

Intoxication - 40x40 cm - Photo print on cotton paper

Forest scorched in an environmental reserve area in Jaci Paraná, state of Rondônia, 2019.

Vigilance - 20x20 cm - Photo print on cotton paper

Indigenous natives from the Wajãpi ethnic group during a political rally in Macapá, state of Amapá, 2017.

Still Landscape - 40x40 cm - Photo print on cotton paper

Forest scorched in Cláudia, state of Mato Grosso, 2020.

Mirrored forest - 60x40 cm - Photo print on cotton paper

An igarapé stream in the National Park of Jaú, state of Amazonas, 2018.

Gatherers - 60x40 cm - Photo print on cotton paper

Yanomami child carries manioc root in the Watoriki village, Yanomami Indigenous Land, state of Roraima, 2019

Fire outbreak - 60x40 cm - Photo print on cotton paper

An outbreak of forest fire in the Uru Eu Wau Wau Indigenous Land, state of Rondônia 2019.

Timber yard - 60x40 cm - Photo print on cotton paper

A timber yard in a forest management area in Melgaço, state of Pará, 2019.

Mining erosion - 60x40 cm - Photo print on cotton paper

Miners initiate a hydraulic erosion process to open a mining site in Volta Grande do Xingu, Altamira, state of Pará, 2013.

Pasture fire - 60x40 cm - Photo print on cotton paper

Cattle flees from fire in a farm in the state of Rondônia, 2019.

Suffocation - 60x40 cm - Photo print on cotton paper

Man observes forest fire during the Covid-19 pandemic in Cláudia, state of Mato Grosso, 2020.

Timber Yard - 60x40 cm - Photo print on cotton paper

Aerial view of a timber company in the town of Colniza, in the deforestation arc, state of Mato Grosso, 2019.

Still Life 1 - 60x40 cm - Photo print on cotton paper

Aerial view of a burnt pasture in Altamira, state of Pará, 2019.

Still Life 2 - 60x40 cm - Photo print on cotton paper

Flooded forest area near a hydroelectric power plant in the state of Mato Grosso, 2021.

Açaí plantation - 40x40cm - Photo print on cotton paper

A man reaps açaí from the tree in a plantation in the Island of Combu, state of Pará, 2019.

Sumauma - 20X20cm - Photo print on cotton paper

A Sumauma tree, state of Amazonas, 2019.

Prepared for war - 40x40cm - Photo print on cotton paper

Indigenous Yanomami people during a ritual that precedes a political discussion forum in the Watoriki village, Yanomami Indigenous Land, state of Roraima, 2019.

Connectivity - 20X20cm - Photo print on cotton paper

Kena Marubo speaks with her son via cell phone in the Manakanaway village, Marubo Indigenous Land, state of Acre, 2024.

Timber company - 40x40cm - Photo print on cotton paper

A sawmill in União Bandeirantes, state of Rondônia, 2019.

Criminal shipment - 20X20cm - Photo print on cotton paper

Illegal timber shipment, removed from the national forest of Jacundá, state of Rondônia, 2021.

Slaughterhouse - 40x40cm - Photo print on cotton paper

Cattle butchery in Porto Velho, state of Rondônia, 2019.

The bath - 20X20cm - Photo print on cotton paper

Children play in the river in the Amanã Sustainable Development Reserve, state of Amazonas, 2018.

The cut - 40x40cm - Photo print on cotton paper

A cut tree in a recently burnt pasture in Apiacás, state of Mato Grosso, 2019.

Forest Fire - 20X20cm - Photo print on cotton paper

A man attempts to put out a forest fire in Cláudia, state of Mato Grosso, 2020.

Babassu - 40x40cm - Photo print on cotton paper

Young gatherer of Babassu seeds in Bacabal, state of Maranhão, 2024.

Apocalypse - 20X20cm - Photo print on cotton paper

Flooded and burnt area in Cláudia, state of Mato Grosso, 2020.

Legendas completas em português – Sala 01

Cabeça de onça - 20 x 20 cm - Impressão fotográfica sobre papel algodão

Cabeça de onça em formato de máscara, aldeia Macüã Kamãnawa, Acre,  2024.

O grito - 40 x 40 cm - Impressão fotográfica sobre papel algodão

Indígena da etnia Wajãpi durante cerimônia de Kassiri, Amapá, 2017.

Crivada de balas - 20 x 20 cm - Impressão fotográfica sobre papel algodão

Placa de demarcação da Terra Indígena Uru Eu Wau Wau, Rondônia, 2019.

A morte - 40 x 40 cm - Impressão fotográfica sobre papel algodão

Derrubada de árvore em manejo florestal próximo à cidade de Melgaço, Pará, 2019.

Operação Garimpo - 20 x 20 cm - Impressão fotográfica sobre papel algodão

Operação do Ibama contra garimpo ilegal na Terra Indígena Yanomami, Roraima, 2023.

Desolação - 40 x 40 cm - Impressão fotográfica sobre papel algodão

Moradores de uma área rural, no município de Cláudia, observam a queimada numa área de floresta, Mato Grosso, 2020.

Cortina de fumaça - 20 x 20 cm - Impressão fotográfica sobre papel algodão

Uma queimada em área de pasto e floresta em Rondônia, 2021.

Impotência - 40 x 40 cm - Impressão fotográfica sobre papel algodão

Agentes do Prev Fogo, Força Nacional e Exército, durante ações de combate a queimadas em Rondônia, 2019.

O tombo - 20 x 20 cm - Impressão fotográfica sobre papel algodão

Queimada numa área rural no município de Cláudia, Mato Grosso, 2020.

Intoxicação - 40 x 40 cm - Impressão fotográfica sobre papel algodão

Floresta queimada em uma área de reserva ambiental em Jaci Paraná, Rondônia, 2019.

Vigilância - 20 x 20 cm - Impressão fotográfica sobre papel algodão

Indígenas da etnia Wajãpi durante comício político em Macapá, Amapá, 2017.

Paisagem morta - 40 x 40 cm - Impressão fotográfica sobre papel algodão

Floresta incendiada em Cláudia, Mato Grosso, 2020.

Floresta espelhada - 60 x 40 cm - Impressão fotográfica sobre papel algodão

Um igarapé no Parque Nacional do Jaú, Amazonas, 2018.

Coletores - 60 x 40 cm - Impressão fotográfica sobre papel algodão

Criança yanomami carrega mandioca na aldeia Watoriki, Território Indígena Yanomami, Roraima, 2019.

Princípio de fogo - 60 x 40 cm - Impressão fotográfica sobre papel algodão

Um princípio de floresta queimada no Território Indígena Uru Eu Wau Wau , Rondônia, 2019.

Pátio de madeira - 60 x 40 cm - Impressão fotográfica sobre papel algodão

Um pátio de madeira numa área de manejo florestal em Melgaço, Pará, 2019.

Erosão garimpeira - 60 x 40 cm - Impressão fotográfica sobre papel algodão

Garimpeiros iniciam um processo de erosão hidráulico para abertura de garimpo na Volta Grande do Xingu, Altamira, Pará, 2013.

Queimada no pasto - 60 x 40 cm - Impressão fotográfica sobre papel algodão

Gado foge de incêndio em fazenda de Rondônia, 2019.

Sufocamento - 60 x 40 cm - Impressão fotográfica sobre papel algodão

Homem observa incêndio florestal durante a pandemia de Covid-19 em Cláudia, Mato Grosso, 2020.

Pátio de madeira - 60 x 40 cm - Impressão fotográfica sobre papel algodão

Vista aérea de uma madeireira na cidade de Colniza, no arco do desmatamento, em Mato Grosso, 2019.

Natureza morta 1 - 60 x 40 cm - Impressão fotográfica sobre papel algodão

Vista aérea de um pasto queimado em Altamira, Pará, 2019.

Natureza morta 2 - 60 x 40 cm - Impressão fotográfica sobre papel algodão

Uma área de floresta alagada próxima a uma hidrelétrica no estado de Mato Grosso, 2021.

Açaizal - 40 x 40 cm - Impressão fotográfica sobre papel algodão

Um homem colhe açaí do pé num açaizal na Ilha do Combu, Pará, 2019.

Sumaúma - 20 x 20 cm - Impressão fotográfica sobre papel algodão

Uma árvore Sumaúma, Amazonas, 2019.

Preparados para a guerra - 40 x 40cm - Impressão fotográfica sobre papel algodão

Indígenas yanomami durante ritual que antecede fórum de discussão política na aldeia Watoriki, Terra Indígena Yanomami, Roraima, 2019.

Conectividade - 20 x 20cm - Impressão fotográfica sobre papel algodão

Kena Marubo conversa com seu filho por telefone celular na aldeia Manakanaway, Terra Indígena Marubo, Acre, 2024.

Madeireira - 40 x 40 cm - Impressão fotográfica sobre papel algodão

Uma serraria de madeira em União Bandeirantes, Rondônia, 2019.

Transporte criminoso - 20 x 20 cm - Impressão fotográfica sobre papel algodão

Transporte de madeira ilegal retirada da Floresta Nacional do Jacundá, Rondônia, 2021.

Matadouro - 40 x 40 cm - Impressão fotográfica sobre papel algodão

Abatedouro de gado em Porto Velho, Rondônia, 2019.

O banho - 20 x 20 cm - Impressão fotográfica sobre papel algodão

Crianças brincam no rio na Reserva de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Amanã, Amazonas, 2018.

O corte - 40 x 40 cm - Impressão fotográfica sobre papel algodão

Uma árvore cortada num pasto recém-queimado em Apiacás, Mato Grosso, 2019.

Incêndio florestal - 20 x 20 cm - Impressão fotográfica sobre papel algodão

Um homem tenta apagar um incêndio florestal em Cláudia, Mato Grosso, 2020.

Babaçu - 40 x 40 cm - Impressão fotográfica sobre papel algodão

Jovem coletor de babaçu em Bacabal, Maranhão, 2024.

Apocalipse - 20 x 20 cm - Impressão fotográfica sobre papel algodão

Área alagada e queimada em Cláudia, Mato Grosso, 2020.