New media artist Refik Anadol and the Yawanawá community, native to the Brazilian Amazon, are preparing to reveal their remarkable joint creation, Winds of Yawanawá, on Thursday, 13th July 2023. This awe-inspiring artwork series consists of a captivating data sculpture and a limited Genesis NFT collection featuring 1000 unique Data Paintings. These artworks incorporate weather data from the Yawanawá village in the Amazon rainforest, including wind speed, gusts, direction, and temperature, skillfully blended with the artistic visions of Yawanawá talents Nawashahu and Mukashahu.
Announced by Refik Anadol himself, Winds of Yawanawá stands as his “most significant and purposeful project of the year,” taking us one step closer to rediscovering harmonious ways of coexisting with our planet.
Winds of Yawanawá Collection Sale 14th – 16th July 2023
The Yawanawá community has a rich heritage steeped in artistic expression, intertwining patterns, visions, and dreams that convey the resilience and beauty of their people. This artwork series is deeply influenced by their cultural legacy and symbolises their symbiotic relationship with the rainforest they nurture.
The NFT sale will commence with the official unveiling at 19:00 local time in Greece (16:00 UTC) on 14th July 2023. Each NFT represents a distinctive video and sound composition derived from the central artwork of the series. Furthermore, every NFT comes with an archival museum-quality physical print (44×22 inches) personally signed by Chief Nixiwaka Yawanawá and Refik Anadol. The sale will remain open until Sunday, 16th July 2023.
Winds of Yawanawá was born out of Impact One’s Possible Futures collaboration with the Yawanawá community, aiming to sow the seeds of a more holistic approach to sustainability in the future. The Possible Futures initiative emerged from Genesis, an indigenous outreach program commissioned by Mikolaj Sekutowicz and curated by Jeanne de Kroon as part of Therme Art’s Wellbeing Culture Forum. In September 2022, Therme Art and Impact One responded to Chief Nixiwaka Yawanawá’s invitation to meet at the Yawanawá Sacred Village of Aldeia Sagrada. Since then, the initiative has flourished into a platform that listens to and amplifies indigenous voices, fostering a shared perspective on the true impact of value, as reflected in Possible Futures. The platform was officially launched at the New York Times climate hub during COP27, featuring a program co-curated with Nina Gualinga of the Kichwa People of Sarayaku. The discussion series explored the concept of co-creating symbiotic futures for the planet, with the participation of Sonja Guajajara, Brazil’s Minister of Indigenous Peoples, and representatives from the Yawanawá, Xakriabá, Witoto, Terena, Kichwa, Ushigua, and Ponca People.
The Yawanawá community is represented in this project by chiefs Biraci Nixiwaka Brasil, Putanny Yawanawá, and Isku Kua Biraci Brasil Junior, who lead the villages of Aldeia Sagrada and Nova Esperança. Proceeds from the artwork sales will directly support Instituto Nixiwaka, the entity that represents the Yawanawá communities, in their long-term initiatives to protect Yawanawá territories and cultural heritage. The generated funds will be allocated to projects such as building sustainable infrastructure in the Aldeia Sagrada village and developing an educational program for Nova Esperança.
OFFICIAL UNVEILING To celebrate the launch of Winds of Yawanawá, Possible Futures has partnered with Scorpios Mykonos to present the artwork as part of their newly established art platform, Encounters. The official unveiling of this remarkable artwork series will take place on 13th July 2023, followed by the opening of the sale for the NFT data paintings on 14th July 2023, which will run until 16th July 2023. To mark this historic collaboration, Refik Anadol and Yawanawá chiefs Nixiwaka and Isku Kua will be present at Scorpios Mykonos from 13th to 14th July 2023 as part of Scorpios’ Encounters program. The chiefs, together with their family members Ninunihu and Ykashahu, will lead prayers and musical performances. The celebrations will be accompanied by a panel discussion curated by Impact One, exploring the concept and creation behind this collaborative artwork and the utilisation of Web3 as an additional driver for global stewardship of natural ecosystems.
