Exhibition: Claudia Andujar - The Yanomami Struggle

An exhibition devoted to the life and work of Claudia Andujar and her collaboration with the Yanomami, one of Brazil’s largest indigenous peoples, who she has spent her life documenting and defending.

Claudia Andujar first met the Yanomami in 1971 while working on an article about the Amazon. Fascinated by this isolated community, she decided to embark on an in-depth photographic essay of their daily life with the support of the Italian missionary Carlo Zacquini.

Over 200 photographs, an audio-visual installation and a series of drawings by the Yanomami are brought together for the exhibition. They reflect the dual nature of Andujar’s five-decade relationship with them, highlighting her commitment to both art and activism. Photos from her first six years living with the Yanomami, showing how she grappled with visually interpreting a complex culture, will feature alongside imagery produced during periods of direct activism, as she used her camera and archive as a tool for political change.

At a time when the Yanomami’s territory is threatened and their way of life at risk, due to ongoing illegal mining and the spread of Covid-19, this survey takes on enhanced significance.

This territory is still threatened by the Brazilian government’s inaction towards the 20,000 illegal miners operating in indigenous land and their tolerance of deforestation.

The exhibition not only presents Andujar’s art but also amplifies the voices and perpetual struggles the Yanomami are facing.