River Rights Are the Theme of Christal Galeria's Group Exhibition

At its opening, the exhibition "Calling the River" will feature a performance by artists Ziel Karapotó and Olinda Tupinambá.

What happens when a river gains legal rights? This is one of the questions driving the group exhibition "Calling the River," curated by Paula Borghi, which Christal Galeria opens this Thursday (9) at 7 p.m. The title evokes a double meaning: calling the river by its name and, at the same time, fighting for its rights. The opening will feature a performance by artists Ziel Karapotó and Olinda Tupinambá.

Inspired by the philosophy of good living, the exhibition is based on the idea that rivers have the right to exist like any other living being, regardless of their human form, proposing a reflection on nature as a subject of rights.

The exhibition will feature a Latin American cross-section of 16 contemporary artists working with research that makes no distinction between culture and nature. The exhibition features Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, El Salvador, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela. The exhibition will feature works in video, performance, object, drawing, painting, photography, and photo-performance—all questioning the boundaries between culture and nature, humans and non-humans, concepts central to the maintenance of the colonial power matrix.

"In the year Brazil will host COP 30, an event in which world leaders, scientists, and civil society actors will gather to discuss actions to mitigate climate change, it is essential to also place this issue on the cultural agenda," argues the exhibition's curator, Paula Borghi.

According to Christiana Asfora, founder of Christal Galeria, the group exhibition is a call for new forms of environmental protection aligned with the way of life of indigenous peoples. Over the past two decades, Indigenous and non-Indigenous activists have been demanding legal action that recognizes rivers as legal entities to ensure their health and preservation.

Some international examples reinforce this movement. The Whanganui River in New Zealand—considered the ancestral home of the Mori people—received legal entity status in 2017. Since then, Mori representatives have served on all councils and committees responsible for managing the area, ensuring their presence in decisions regarding construction projects and environmental interventions.

However, not all cases have been successful. The Atrato River in Colombia, declared a legal entity in 2016, continues to see its rights violated due to pollution caused by mining. "Not all cases of recognition of rivers as legal entities are sufficient to guarantee their rights, just as they do with those of human beings," adds Paula Borghi.

By bringing together works that evoke the political and sacred dimensions of water, *Calling the River* invites the public to reflect on the urgency of protecting rivers and to imagine new forms of coexistence between human and non-human beings.

The following artists will be featured in the exhibition:

1. Camila Bardehle (Chile)
2. Edinson Quiñones (Colombia)
3. Génova Alvarado (Venezuela)
4. Guillermo Rodríguez (Puerto Rico)
5. Herbert de Paz (El Salvador)
6. Jorge Feitosa (Brazil, Rondônia)
7. J. Pavel Herrera (Cuba)
8. Manuel Brandazza (Argentina)
9. Manuela Costa Silva (Brazil, Goiás)
10. Marcelo Amorim (Brazil, Goiás)
11. Maria Bressanello (Argentina)
12. Nina Simão (Brazil, São Paulo)
13. Olinda Tupinambá (Brazil, Bahia)
14. Simone Fontana Reis (Brazil, São Paulo)
15. Sophia Pinheiro (Brazil, Goiás)
16. Ziel Karapotó (Brazil, Alagoas)

Christal Galeria - Since its opening in 2021, Christal Galeria de Artes has held dozens of exhibitions, including group and solo exhibitions by artists who are key to the historical and critical landscape of Pernambuco art, such as J. Borges, José Barbosa, Cavani Rosas, Maria Carmen, George Barbosa, and Ziel Karapotó.

The gallery's program was designed to strengthen and showcase local and national talent, offering a space for both institutional and experimental exhibitions. With this, Christal Galeria de Artes seeks to play a vital role in a territory where the arts influence viewers' perceptions and interactions with the world.
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