Aesthetic à flor da terra: Jaider Esbell and Indigenous art

Abstract

The article suggests discussing Indigenous aesthetics, focusing on the artistic production of Jaider Esbell, a Makuxi activist who provoked the art market and Indigenous artists in mobilizing the concept of Contemporary Indigenous Art. We approach this through a brief analysis of Jaider Esbell's artistic, aesthetic, and epistemological stance, observing how it expanded and influenced the discussion in this field. Since, for Esbell, collectivity is among the most prominent aspects of the Indigenous artistic field, we seek to articulate the concept he evokes with the Indigenous artists Daiara Tukano and Naine Terena. Next, in dialogue with Latin American authors such as Luis Galindez, Federico Navarrete, and Ulrike Prinz, and adopting Jaider Esbell's artistic production as a primary point of reference, we will walk the path toward an Indigenous aesthetics we call “à Flor da Terra aesthetics”.