Oh Selva: Casa de America Latina Lisbon Portugal

 

The Casa da América Latina and the Embassy of Colombia in Portugal, in collaboration with the Galería Elvira Moreno, have the honor of inviting you to the opening of the exhibition "Oh Selva..." on January 23, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. at the Casa da América Latina headquarters in Lisbon. This special event commemorates the centenary of the publication of the famous novel written by José Eustasio Rivera, La Vorágine, which is a historical reference and literary classic of Colombia. The exhibition will be open to the public until March 28, 2025.
With the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia, this exhibition is a tribute to the Colombian Amazon's rich cultural and natural identity and invites us to reflect on its history and the contemporary artistic manifestos of the region. As promoter of this event, the Embassy of Colombia in Portugal reinforces its commitment to disseminating the artistic and literary heritage of the country in an international dialogue that connects Colombia and Portugal.
The exhibition, curated by Francisco Arévalo, brings together three prominent Colombian artists:

• Felipe Arturo (Bogotá, 1979)
Felipe Arturo presents two series of great conceptual depth:
1. "La Vorágine por Peso": A series of sculptures that uses old and contemporary scales to hold stacked fragments of editions of La Vorágine, organized in units of weight such as ounces, pounds, and kilos. The work highlights the connection between the measures of the extractive rubber economy and the tragedy of human exploitation in the Amazon. These sculptures confront the viewer with the paradoxes of economic extraction and its impact on the life of Indigenous communities and the ecosystem.

2. "Vorágine Materia Prima" comprises sculptural installations that intertwine editions of the book La Vorágine, transforming them into vegetal structures that evoke roots, vines, and
branches. This work seeks to return the literary material to its natural origin as fiber, establishing a dialogue between the symbolic content of the book and its materiality, connecting the narrative with jungle ecosystems. The piece also explores how the material culture of literature is intertwined with the historical and ecological processes of the Amazon.

Felipe Arturo is an artist and architect born in Bogotá in 1979. He studied architecture at the University of Los Andes in Bogotá, completed a master's degree in visual arts at Columbia University in New York, and has a doctorate in visual arts from the University of Évora in Portugal. His practice incorporates elements from fields related to urbanism, architecture, and art, including politics, history, geography, and economics. He is currently an associate professor at the Universidad del Rosario in Bogotá.

“LA VULCANIZADORA” COLLECTIVE
La Vulcanizadora: Stories of Resistance and Revitalization.  Founded in Bogotá in 2017 by María Rojas Arias and Andrés Jurado, La Vulcanizadora is an experimental film collective recognized for its ability to merge auteur cinema with indigenous narratives. Their focus on personalized production models has allowed them to create films such as FU (2018), El Renacer del Carare (2020), Abrir Monte (2021), Yarokamena (2022), Yvuuhza Okaina (2023), Tarro Vacío (2024) and La Trampa (2024). In "Oh Selva...", the collective ‘La Vulcanizadora’ presents two striking films:

1. "Tarro Vacío (2024) is an autobiographical story about a young Okaina-Yvuuhza who faces military rejection, social challenges, and a pandemic in the urban environment of Bogotá. This triggers a journey of self-discovery and cultural revitalization.

Tarro Vacio tells us the story of a young Indigenous man who sees military enlistment as an
opportunity to improve his life and help his family. When undergoing medical tests, they detect in his body a substance that the institution calls cocaine, which prevents him from enlisting. Vitilio Iyokina Gittoma's short film exposes the gap between ancestral knowledge and the scientific world, exposing an institutionality that ignores the spiritual importance of practices around the coca leaf.

2. "The Trap" (2024): Noé Siake's trap, hidden in the Ta+fe jungle, is a lost legacy among the Okaina hunters. But when a jaguar appears, it offers the possibility of its rebirth, challenging nature and the ancestral forces that have destroyed it. In its narrative, The Trap combines documentary and fiction elements to highlight the resilience of Indigenous communities in the face of exploitation and modernity.
La Vulcanizadora has produced projects such as El Renacer del Carare by Andrés Jurado, the winner of the Special Mention in the Flash competition that premiered at the FIDMarseille 2020 (Marseille Documentary Film Festival), The short film Fu (2018), winner of the Jury Prize for Experimental Documentary at Florianópolis Audiovisual Mercosul, EL RENACER DEL CARARE (2020) awarded with the Special Mention in the Flash competition at FIDMarseille and the Public Award at the Panorama du Cinéma Colombien (France); ABRIR MONTE (2021) winner of the Short Joy Award at the Jihlava Film Festival, the Best Short Film Award at the São Paulo ISFF and the Best Latin American Short Film Award at FICVALDIVIA; JIRAPO directed by Maria, will soon be released worldwide.YAROKAMENA (2022) premiered at BERLINALE and was awarded an Honorable Mention at DocLisboa and the Psarokokalo International Film Festival (Greece). YVUUHZA OKAINA (2023) winner of the best short film award at BISFF Busan and Honorable Mention at FICCALI; TARRO EMPÍO (2024), winner of the ILO award at FICCI Cartagena and the Best Colombian Documentary award at MIDBO and LA TRAMPA (2024) Premiered at FICCI Cartagena and Sheffield DocFest. Her new films WELCOME INTERPLANETARY AND SIDERAL SPACE CONQUERORS premiered at the FIDMArseille in 2024.

 

Aimema Úai establishes a deep connection between art and the Amazonian territory, integrating rituals and medicinal materials that reflect her people's spirituality and ancestral wisdom, the Murui Muina (Uitoto). At the center of her work is the Maloka, a sacred space representing the core of her people's social, spiritual, and political life. This place is not only a physical refuge but an ethereal symbol of resistance, spirituality, and cultural transmission.
The Maloka manifests itself in Aimema's creations as a floating and symbolic element, merging with settings such as the jungle, the mambe (ritual coca), and the basic basket of provisions the jungle offers its people. Aimema uses this ancestral space through his art to evoke the balance between the human and the natural and between historical memory and the future.

The Maloka as Artistic Narrative
One of Aimema's most representative pieces depicts the Maloka decomposing and merging with a red-tinged jungle background. This chromatic and symbolic contrast alludes to the historical trauma of rubber exploitation and the effort of her community to rebuild its identity after the devastation caused by the rubber boom. In her narrative, the Maloka also appears as a symbolic extension of the basic basket of provisions that the jungle offers, connecting Indigenous traditions with the contemporary challenges of the Amazon.

A Dialogue between Ancestry and Contemporaneity
Aimema Úai transforms the Maloka into a universal symbol of resistance, healing, and wisdom, establishing a bridge between the cosmogony of the Murui Muina and the realities of the modern world. Through her artistic practice, which includes painting, research, and ritual art, Aimema explores notions of memory, territory, and cultural identity. His work seeks to preserve the ancestral principles of her community and share them with the world. In doing so, she highlights the spiritual and cultural richness of the Amazon and its
relevance in the face of contemporary challenges such as sustainability, historical memory, and cultural revitalization.

Mambe on Canvas
Aimema Úai is a precursor of the artistic technique Mambe on Canvas and organic materials such as Yamchama (tree bark). With his parents' permission and after a period of preparation and spiritual accompaniment in the mambeadero, the chagra, and the territory, he has managed to create works that reflect his thinking from the Mambe, the Wito, and the Rubber (Syringa).

 

Francisco Arévalo, curator of the exhibition, commented: "This exhibition is a tribute to the resilience of the Amazonian communities, their stories, and their dedication to preserving the ancestral identity of their communities through a contemporary reflection of La Vorágine."

Pedro Agustín Roa Arboleda, Chargé d'Affaires a.i. of the Embassy of Colombia in Portugal,
expressed that "this exhibition is part of the Cultural Diplomacy Strategy of Colombia Abroad, through which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs seeks to make known the most varied and representative cultural expressions of our country to the world."

 

Manuela Júdice, director of Casa da América Latina, highlighted: "‘Oh Selva...’ is a manifestation of cultural collaboration that strengthens the ties between Colombia and Portugal, allowing the local public to explore the artistic wealth of the Amazon."

As the project's advisor, the Elvira Moreno Gallery reaffirms its commitment to promoting Colombian art internationally, consolidating its role in strengthening the country's cultural identity.

 

An Artistic Journey to the Jungle
The exhibition invites visitors to delve into an experience where each work tells a fragment of the history of the Amazon, specifically of the community of La Chorrera, from the wounds of rubber exploitation to cultural resistance and the regeneration of memory.

Activities not to be missed
- Talks and guided tours: Led by curators Francisco Arévalo and Bernardo Vilhena,
along with the artists.

-  Short Film Screening: Presentation of the films 'Tarro Vacío' and 'La Trampa,' directed
by members of the Okaina community, followed by an interactive discussion with the producers
on historical memory and cultural revitalization.