Brazilian multidisciplinary artist based in Zurich, Switzerland.
Current exhibtion:
«Terra, Corpo» // 3.05 –26.06
@ Galeria de Arte da UFAM, Manaus Brasil
«Grosse Regionale» 2023, Kunst(Zeug)Haus, Rapperswil-Jona, Switzerland
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At a time when access to fossil fuels, mineral resources, and the global food cycle is increasingly restricted due to climate change and economic, social, and geopolitical crises, the Amazon is in a permanent state of threat. Current extractive policies, economic interests, and the presence of organized crime in the region further exacerbate this threat. The pursuit of wealth through gold mining is an omnipresent motive in my family structure. All male members, including my father and uncles, have either worked in artisanal small-scale mining in the past or continue to do so today. Through my family ties, I endeavored to gain a nuanced understanding of this particular group of people who depend solely on gold mining for their livelihood, rather than merely generalizing them as environmental destroyers. These endeavors led me to investigate the complexities of extractivism in the Amazon and its global interconnections.
«Dusky Red Latoso» is an ongoing research project since 2021, culminating in various artistic works, from documentary films to paintings and more.
Project Archive
Serra Pelada: the story of the world's largest open-pit mining operation in the 70s and 90s
Documented by Robert Nickelsberg
Location unknown, possibly near Roraima.
«I often wonder if I am on the wrong side of the story. My work raises the question of the dignity of gold miners, a precarious group of people who just haven’t made it in the modern society. Through my paintings, I tell stories of mothers who haven’t seen their sons in 20 years, who are holed up in the rainforest, and of women who cook for the gold miners to earn a fair wage, something they could never get in the civilized cities due to their lack of education. These are also stories about those who have lost either a father or a husband too soon. While I support the measures of the new Brazilian government under Lula to put an end to illegal gold mining on indigenous territory, I also wonder if there are alternatives to reintegrating these people into society rather than just setting fire to their camps.»
She uses a variety of methods, including field studies, archival research, and direct dialogue with local actors. The starting point of her research is a photograph of her father and two other people in an illegal gold mining area in Pará, Brazil, during the 1980s. Due to the lack of any personal memories of her father, she dedicated the first part of her project to reconstructing his life story by talking to people who knew him or were in contact with him. This search for clues eventually led her to Serra Pelada, an area near her birthplace of Curionópolis in Pará, Brazil. Serra Pelada became famous as the scene of one of the biggest gold rushes in the history of Latin America, with more than 100,000 people searching for gold at the same time.
«The decision to enlarge and artistically reconstruct the photograph of my father during gold mining was driven by multiple motivations. I wanted to engage aesthetically with the image of my father, and since the original photograph was deteriorating, I saw painting as a way to preserve it. I planned to bring the painting back to Serra Pelada, where my father had worked as a gold miner, and unroll it in front of the pit for a symbolic moment.
Throughout my journey, the painting became a constant companion, enhancing both personal reflection and ethnographic exploration. I developed a method called "Roll Out," which involved displaying the painting in various locations. This often sparked curiosity and led to interactions with locals, allowing me to learn about their lives and the local conditions. Thus, the painting evolved into both a personal artifact and a tool for socio-cultural research and intercultural exchange.»
Oil on canvas, 120cmx180cm
«I'm hardly back in Zurich when I can't believe my eyes when I see this golden cube near Paradeplatz in Zurich, which is monitored by security. people are lining up and desperately want to touch the cube and take a selfie with it. The cube was made in Europe's oldest art foundry in Aarau from 24-carat 999.9 fine gold and weighs 186 kilos. The material value alone is 12 million Swiss francs. The whole setting was simply too absurd, where it is not even critically explained in the description where this gold comes from. When I asked about the origin of the gold, I was assured that it was 100% fair trade gold. Gold mining is always linked to exploitation - if it is not the people, it is the environment.
So it was clear that I had to do a little interventation. The artist Nicolas Castello didn't listen at all that I was dealing with illegal gold mining in the Amazon, instead he was immediately willing to pose next to my picture.»
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BIPOC Group Exhibition
@Stiftung BIN39, Zurich, Switzerland
12:53 “I like the idea of “forms” as we all have different approaches, whether it’s de-forming by destroying existing forms or ideas; re-forming by recreating forms we know intimately in a space / place where it didn’t naturally / typically occur / be presented; in-forming by sharing knowledge we’ve lived; or just plain forming.”
12:54 “I’m free on Thursday from 13:00”
An excerpt from the Telegram group chat set up for the organization of this exhibition.
@Stiftung BIN39, Zurich, Switzerland
12:53 “I like the idea of “forms” as we all have different approaches, whether it’s de-forming by destroying existing forms or ideas; re-forming by recreating forms we know intimately in a space / place where it didn’t naturally / typically occur / be presented; in-forming by sharing knowledge we’ve lived; or just plain forming.”
12:54 “I’m free on Thursday from 13:00”
An excerpt from the Telegram group chat set up for the organization of this exhibition.
«Lavando tua ropa».
Oil on wood, 200x175 cm
Oil on wood, 200x175 cm
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Ceramics is a significant aspect of the cultural heritage and artistic expression in the North of Brazil, particularly in regions such as Marajo Island, where it has a rich history dating back to pre-Columbian times. Various style of burial urns, pots, bowls and vases have been discovered in the area.
The high iron oxide content in the soil gives the landscape a distinct reddish tint, which is particularly noticeable in areas where deforestation has occurred.The fertility of the latosol soil depends completely on the rainforest. When the forest is cut down, all the nutrients in the soil are quickly used up, and the layer of humus stops getting replaced. «Unburnt clay bars» is an exploration of this materiality.
Plaster cast mould with a typical gold bar inscription «999,9 Fine Gold», 2022
The high iron oxide content in the soil gives the landscape a distinct reddish tint, which is particularly noticeable in areas where deforestation has occurred.The fertility of the latosol soil depends completely on the rainforest. When the forest is cut down, all the nutrients in the soil are quickly used up, and the layer of humus stops getting replaced. «Unburnt clay bars» is an exploration of this materiality.
Exhibition «Diplome 2023», ZHDK
Zürich, Switzerlandd, 2023
Name of used clay «Brasil Steinzeugton», imported and sold by Bodmer Ton AG, Einsiedeln, Switzerland
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In recent practices, methods of ethnology or social anthropology are increasingly being taken up in artistic works; in particular, the involvement of artists in social contexts and the roles they assume in them are being negotiated. Thassiannira showed an excerpt from her research trip to the Brazilian Amazon in connection with her master´s thesis «My father, a golddigger», in which she deals with extractivism.
An exchange within the Seminar - Sensory Ethnographx of the ZHdK Master Transdisziplinarität
at MATERIAL, Zurich Switzerland
Nov. 17th, 2022
An exchange within the Seminar - Sensory Ethnographx of the ZHdK Master Transdisziplinarität
at MATERIAL, Zurich Switzerland
Nov. 17th, 2022
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«Grosse Regionale» 2023, Kunst(Zeug)Haus, Rapperswil-Jona, Switzerland
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Thassiannira Araujo Sousa
Brazilian multidisciplinary artist based in Zurich, Switzerland.
Since 2021
Master of Arts, Transdisciplinarity
Zürcher Hochschule der Künste, Institute of Arts Switzerland
thassiannira@outlook.com
2023 «Grosse Regionale», Kunstzeughaus, Rapperswill-Jona, Switzerland
2023 Groupshow
Kunst im Ofen, Art on board, Winterthur (offene Halle 142), Switzerland
2023 Groupshow
Deformin`, Foundation BINZ39, Zurich, Switzerland
2022 Soloshow
"My father a gold digger" a research trip to the brazilian Amazon, MATERIAL, Zurich, Switzerland
2016 Groupshow
Urbanhacking, Uncover Formschau, Port 25, Mannheim, Germany
2015 Groupshow
Navigationsdesign, Kunstverein Mannheim Mannheim, Germany
2013 Grouphshow
Language arts, Institut für Sprachkunst, Die Angewandte
Wien, Österreich
2013 Groupshow
Os corpos, Casa Cultura Mario Quintana, Porto Alegre, Brazil
Awards
2020
Best Swiss Apps, Visits
2016
Captcha Student Desing Award, Urban Hacking