Yacunã Tuxá

Each month, we introduce the artist whose work is featured on the cover and at the beginning of the focus section of our monthly edition.

Yacunã Tuxá is an Indigenous visual artist and activist from Tuxá de Rodelas in Bahía, Brazil. As a multidisciplinary artist, she moves between different languages and media to address the struggles, resistance and political organisation of Indigenous women in Brazil. In her art, words and images intertwine to create connections between memory, identity, territory, justice and dreams, turning art into a powerful political tool.

The artwork “Corpo-canoa” (body-canoe) is a visual metaphor depicting the displacement of the Tuxá people in 1987, when they were forced to leave their land due to the construction of a hydroelectric dam. In the image, the canoe, an ancient symbol of transport and crossing, also represents body and memory. The work expresses the burden of forced relocation, but also the resilience of an identity that resists extinction, affirming that the true heritage of the Tuxá people is intangible: their living memory and the dignity of being themselves.

The artwork “Ativista Mayalú Kokometi Waurá Txucarramãe” (Activist Mayalú Kokometi Waurá Txucarramãe) was created for the project “Indigenous visions on rights, engagement and a sustainable world” (Visões indígenas para imaginar direitos, envolvimento e um mundo sustentável).

It is a visual tribute to the strength and resilience of Indigenous women. Activist Mayalu Txucarramãe is a vocal advocate in the fight to protect the rainforest and the rights of Indigenous peoples.

D+C/E+Z editorial team