Jaider Esbell | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1979 Normandia, Roraima, Brazil |
| Died | November 2021 (aged 41)[1] São Paulo, Brazil |
| Education | Federal University of Roraima |
| Occupation(s) | artist, writer, indigenous rights activist |
Jaider Esbell (Normandia, 1979 –São Paulo, November 2, 2021) was a Brazilian writer, artist,art educator, curator, geographer, andindigenous rights activist.
He was one of the most renownedMacuxi artists in Brazil, his works were displayed at the 2021São Paulo Biennial and2022 Venice Biennale.[1]
Jaider was born in a village of theMacuxi people inRaposa Serra do Solindigenous territory, Roraima, in 1979. He was homeschooled by his adoptive motherBernaldina José Pedro,[2] a famous Macuxi activist, tribal leader, and shaman, who died in June 2020 fromCOVID-19.[3][4] Already as a young man, Jaider started to engage in social activism.[5]
He left his village at the age of 18 to continue his studies inBoa Vista. He started working as an electrician atEletrobras, which allowed him to travel around the country and expand his knowledge of the indigenous culture. It was at that time that he made his first attempts at painting and writing but ended up destroying everything he had created. In 2007, he graduated in geography from theFederal University of Roraima and, in 2009, he obtained a specialization in Environmental Management and Sustainable Development from the Faculty of International Technology.
In 2010, he won a scholarship from theNational Arts Foundation (Funarte) to write his first book,Terreiro de Makunaima – Myths, Legends and Stories in Experiences, which was published in 2012. From then on he started to pursue his artistic vocation.[6]
Jaider Esbell played a key role in the movement for institutional acknowledgement of indigenous art, alongside such artists asDenilson Baniwa [pt] andIsael Maxakali.[5][7] And in 2013, when he organised the I Meeting of All Peoples (I Encontro de Todos os Povos), he became the central figure in the consolidation of contemporary indigenous art in Brazil, acting as an artist, curator, writer, educator, activist and cultural producer.[2]
In his paintings, texts andinstallations,[2] he sought to popularise the history and traditions of theindigenous peoples throughcontemporary art and preserve the ancestral cultural heritage which is being lost due to violence, discrimination andthreats to landowning.[6][8]
According to the art criticLeandro Muniz, indigenous imagery and aesthetics are at the basis of Jaider Esbell's work. But in addition to transposing these elements to Western techniques, his paintings reflectMacuxi's ways of thinking in the way they are constructed with superimposed layers, with elements of the past, the present and the future, showing time "as the simultaneity and interaction between the subjective and social, magical and political, a transit between worlds".[9]
He had his first solo exhibitions inNormandia andBoa Vista in 2011, and later at the Gustavo Schnoor Gallery of theRio de Janeiro State University, the Arts Center of theFederal University of Amazonas, theMemorial dos Povos Indígenas, Sesc inBoa Vista and the Millan Gallery inSão Paulo. He participated in group exhibitions that took place at Barbara Hinshaw Gallery (Grove House, US), Espace Philippe Noiret (France), Paço das Artes, the Arts Center of theFluminense Federal University, theCentro Cultural Banco do Brasil, the Art Museum of theFederal University of Paraná and thePinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo.[10]
In 2021, he became the highlight of the 34thSão Paulo Art Biennial. He was the curator of an exhibition organized in theSão Paulo Museum of Modern Art, parallel to the Biennial, titled"Moquém-Surarî: contemporary indigenous art", which brought together the works of indigenous artists from different peoples.[11] He developed severalart-education projects, published multiple books and articles, gave lectures at universities, and participated in debates and collective art actions.[10]
He was the winner of the 2016PIPA Prize and one of the nominees in the 2021 edition.[10]
Jaider was found dead in hisSão Paulo apartment on November 2, 2021.[1]
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