Eventually, they started calling me a plant namer. My knowledge is not biological.
It is materially, spiritually, and sentimentally connected to the rainforest, to its energy.
– Abel Rodriguez
Chico da Silva, Jaider Esbell, Sheroanawe Hakihiiwe, Abel Rodriguez, Silät
LAMB is pleased to present Palm Tree in My Mind's Eye, a group exhibition which explores how artists from indigenous communities in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela, who are deeply rooted in the Amazon rainforest, channel its rhythms, forms and sacred geometries into their artistic practice. Their works, drawing from ancestral knowledge and memory, emphasize the fragile connection between cultural preservation and the protection of the natural world. The artists, including Chico da Silva, Jaider Esbell, Sheroanawe Hakihiiwe, Abel Rodriguez and the Silät collective, each communicate a deep connection to their communities through their works. A common thread which runs between the artists is the focus on cosmology, an exploration of the interdependence between human life and the environment, which is an outlook that has been passed through generations within their communities. As described by Esbell, “I’ve never taken a course in art history, I’ve never taken a course in almost anything related to art, but very early on I had access to cosmology, right? Another type of art.”