From the series Thousand (Almost) Dead

Abstract

UÝRA, 33 years old, indigenous in diaspora, two-spirit (Transgender), resident of Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil.

She is a biologist, holds a master's degree in Amazon Ecology, and works as a visual artist and art educator for traditional communities. She lives in an industrial area in the middle of the forest, where she transforms to embody a Walking Tree, always created with organic elements. Uýra has participated in over 50 collective exhibitions, both national and international, and has presented 5 solo exhibitions, including her debut at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and the Currier Museum of Art in the United States. She was a highlight of the 34th São Paulo Biennial, the Manifesta Biennial! (Kosovo), the 13th São Paulo Architecture Biennial, and the 1st Amazon Biennial, in addition to being a winner of the EDP Prize in Arts - Tomie Ohtake Institute, the PIPA Prize 2022, the SIM Prize for Racial Equality 2023, and the FOCO Arte Rio Prize 2023. Uýra uses her body as a medium to narrate stories of different Natures through photo performance, performance art, and installations. She is interested in living systems and their violations, and from the perspective of diversity and dissent, she (re)tells natural stories, of enchantments, and the diasporas present in the forest-city landscape. Her works are part of national collections, collectors, and institutions, such as the São Paulo Pinacoteca, PIPA Institute, and international ones like the Castello di Rivoli (Italy), Institute for Studies on Latin American Art of New York (ISLAA), Currier Museum of Art, and Los Angeles County Museum of Art in the United States.