Pirarucú

Photo credits: María Fernanda Cardoso
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María Fernanda Cardoso

1992
Preserved fish scales
70 x 50 x 50 cm

Seventy kilograms of rough, dried scales from the Pirarucú—the great Amazonian fish now endangered—are strung along a spiral wire, suggesting an apparent tension between freedom of artistic expression and the protection of endangered animal life, as well as the collective right to environmental preservation. María Fernanda Cardoso, known for works that challenge environmental rights, invites reflection on the human impact on nature’s preservation, biodiversity, and the excessive exploitation, commodification, and mass consumption of natural resources. The piece contrasts the rights enshrined in Articles 71 and 91 of the Constitution.