My field work has taken me to remote indigenous territories from the Amazon to the Arctic region where I have physically experienced environmental devastation and its deep impact on all forms of life. The main protagonist in my video narratives is the figure of the indigenous scientist emerging from a shared history of colonial conquest and modern natural science whose rationale has been a major driver in the current eco crisis. Based on field research in the Amazonian forests of Colombia, my recent art videos and collaborative action projects unite diverse strands of knowledge on the intelligence of nature and the relationship among all living beings who inhabit these spaces. Bridging scientific and indigenous perspectives, I have become involved in co-creating with the Inga people a Biocultural Indigenous University. This indigenous-led long-term endeavor proposes an ecocentric worldview engendering further research on forest epistemologies. At a time of global biodiversity loss, it is more important than ever to rethink the epistemic roots of our relationship to Earth and take a propositional approach to art.
Ursula Biemann
Decentralized practices in the ecosystems of art and nature
MQ Freiraum
International symposium as part of the exhibitions “Ursula Biemann – Becoming Earth” and “Rodrigo Braga – Zero Point” on contemporary artistic practices in dialog with the knowledge of the ancestors in dealing with nature. With Rodrigo Braga, Ursula Biemann, Hernando Chindoy, Alfredo Ledesma, Marcella Marer, Eduardo Jorge de Oliveira and Cristina Rodriguez.
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