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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.»