The new artist edtion by Rivane Neuenschwander,  is a reproduction from the Capitalist Hydra (Flag) appears as a banner in a scene from the artist and activist latest film Eu sou uma arara [I Am an Arara] (2022), which was created in collaboration with filmmaker Mariana Lacerda. This documentary but also fanciful film is based on extensive research and a number of actions in São Paulo, in which numerous participants in the streets dressed up as animals, plants, mushrooms or fantastic creatures inspired by the flora and fauna of Brazil.

For this project Neuenschwander created numerous masks and costumes of dolphins, parrots, anteaters, lizards, tortoises and various plants, including giant sunflowers. In October 2021, this demonstration first marched along the Avenida Paulista in São Paulo with hand-painted signs including ‘Pare o Garimpo Ilegal’ [Stop illegal mining], ‘Defender a Alegria’ [Defend joy] and ‘O Futuro É Ancestral’ [The future is in the hands of the ancestors] and banners such as the four-headed hydra bearing the names of huge corporations. The protagonists spread powerful messages that are not only based on words but also incorporate sounds, smells, smoke and soap bubbles, the aim being to draw attention to the destruction of the rainforest and the concerns of the indigenous population.

The Capitalist Hydra is a reference to the legacy and uprising of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation in Chiapas, Mexico, in the mid-1990s. The main body of the Zapatistas is made up of rural indigenous people. Rallying under the name of the revolutionary hero Emiliano Zapata (1879–1919), they fight against oppression, land seizure, capitalist conditions and, in particular, the NAFTA free trade agreement and the poverty it causes. Another aim is to organise their self-defence against ubiquitous violence. Today, there are as many as thirty autonomous municipalities and the development of alternative economies is thriving.

Certificado numerado. Digital print in blended cotton-linen fabric. Limited to 250 copies, numbered on certificate.

Rivane Neuenschwander (born 1967 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil) lives and works in São Paulo, Brazil.