October 20, 2021

09:10

Gabriella Lira – from Cenarium

MANAUS – The photographer, filmmaker and communicator Richard Wera Mirim, of the Guarani Mbya ethnicity, participates for the first time in the Exhibition Mbya Rego – Jaraguá is Guarani, which takes place at the Brazilian Art Museum (MAB), in São Paulo, from October 13 to November 14.

Curated by professor and director of communication at Faculdade Armando Alvares Penteado (FAAP), Rubens Fernandes Junior, the exhibition brings together photos and paintings that portray the way of life of the Guarani Mbya people, who live in the Jaraguá Indigenous Land in São Paulo.

The works on display are by artists who have close knowledge of the Guarani Mbya villages, such as Rafayane Carvalho, Dinas Miguel, Thiago Carvalho. Richard Wera Mirim says he found in the art of photography and film a way to express the way of life and the struggle of his people, as well as encourage other young people to serve the community and share with non-indigenous people about the history, struggle, culture, and knowledge of the Guarani.

“It was the best feeling in the world for me. Because it was my first photo exhibition, I was very happy when I received the proposal. For the first time I, as an indigenous communicator, had the opportunity to exhibit photographs through my eyes”, says the photographer, who also coordinates the communication channel of the Guarani Mbya in Brazil (@midiaguaranimbya), created in 2020.

The Exhibition

The exhibition presents how the Guarani live and resist practicing what they call nhandereko, which consists of the teaching and maintenance of the Guarani mother tongue, the rescue, planting and consumption of traditional foods, spirituality through sacred ceremonies, among other daily activities.

“It means a lot to us Guarani people. It is a moment that we have always hoped for, to be recognized, to occupy museums and various other places in São Paulo with our photography, and there we have an exhibition of our art as well, like a headdress, wooden animals, our sacred pipe, and many other things”, says Richard.

The handicrafts inspired by the Brazilian fauna, the pennants and the headdress, the traditional petyngua (Guarani pipe), the corn as a source of food, called avaxi ete’i, and the nhandereko (“our way of life”) or mbya reko (“their way of life”) are present throughout the exhibition, also portrayed in photographs.

In the Jaraguá Indigenous Land live approximately 800 indigenous people, divided into six clusters of villages: Tekoa Pyau, Tekoa Ytu, Tekoa Itawera, Tekoa Yvy Porã, Tekoa Itakape and Tekoa Itaendy. The Exhibition is a realization of the Armando Alvares Penteado Foundation and is supported by Polis Consulting. To schedule a time to visit, access: https://visitante.agendamento.faap.br/