Vexóa: We Know (Nós sabemos) at Tufts Art Gallery

Véxoa: We Know (Nós sabemos) was presented at the Pinacoteca de São Paulo in 2020 and will now be on view through December 10, 2023 at Tufts University Art Galleries (TUAG), in Medford, Massachusetts.The exhibition brings together Brazilian indigenous living artists who have developed new aesthetic criteria for their work. Curator and educator Naine Terena (Member of the Terena indigenous people of Mato Grosso do Sul) argues that the artworks reflect the importance of these communities in Brazil today. The title comes from "Véxoa" which means "we know" in the Terena language and reaffirms indigenous agency and the struggle for self-determination, along with indigenous contributions to the richness and diversity of the Brazilian culture. It features paintings, drawings, sculptures, video, performance and sound installations that aim to blur the boundaries between art and artifact, traditional and modern, popular and high culture, embracing the diversity of the indigenous experience.The show brought together 22 artists and collectives from regions all over Brazil: Denilson Baniwa, Jaider Esbell and the MAHKU collective (Movimento dos Artistas Huni Kuin/Huni Kuin Artists' Movement), Gustavo Caboco, Yakunã Tuxá and Tamikuã Txihi, Olinda Muniz Tupinambá, the ASCURI collective (Associação Cultural dos Realizadores Indígenas), among others.