Lúcia

Lúcia is both a recorded performance and a drawing inspired by a portrait and conversations with Lúcia in 2016 in Conceição do Mato Dentro, Minas Gerais, one of the leading regions for environmental conflicts in Brazil.

During our conversations, held at a roadside brothel, Lúcia shared about her work of filling charcoal ovens with eucalyptus logs, a practice that is often associated with working conditions considered akin to slavery under Brazilian labor law. She supplemented her income by engaging in sex work to support her only son's college education. Lúcia's photographic portrait had the potential to perpetuate stereotypes of poverty and racial and gender inequality often linked to extractive regions in Latin America. These regions experience environmental racism, which has been a persistent issue in Minas Gerais for over 320 years.

The performance takes place on a white platform and consists of the process of drawing with charcoal on multi-layered white paper. The charcoal used in this work was produced in a traditional oven in 2016 in an area that was recently deforested and later converted into a mining tailings dam in Conceição do Mato Dentro.

In 2020, the Brazilian Government Art Foundation (Funarte) recognized this work and honored it with the RespirArte Award.