CARLA MALDONADO

In Noméo I collaborate with my friend Marli Bárbara, an ecofeminist Indigenous activist, community organizer and musician from the Dessana ethnicity who lives and works in Manaus, Brazil. I perform Bárbara’s Ícaro and intertwine deeply personal visuals with her voice. An Ícaro is a spiritual song, a message that was granted to Bárbara from her ancestors during a ritualistic ceremony. Both artists’ expressions are laden with a sense of unease as the Brazilian Rainforest and Wetlands burn to ashes due to criminal fires. Bárbara’s Ícaro echoes the connection between animals, nature and women; and I compare the destruction of native jaguars’ territories to violence done unto women. This piece is a spell of transformation, but also communicates the importance of acknowledging the harm and pain society has caused women, animals and the Forest.

In "Mango" I build a bridge between interpretations of Latinx representation, bringing together audios that speaks about western expectations of Women's Latinidad. (Found audio from Zia Ahmed, Samantha Bachman, Richard Tipping and Zelene Suchil. )

In "Light / This Bitter Earth" I collaborate with Serichai Traipoom, my studio partner, Photographer and Filmmaker. Captured through his eyes, I perform to Serichai's spotify's playlist in our shared space. My hands represents the sense of hopelessness and uncertainty, loneliness and isolation - establishing a deep connection with the lenses.