All fotos by horizont3000
With great interest, the exhibition Arpilleras do MAB na Áustria opened on October 1st at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU). Around 100 people attended the morning opening, and by the end of the first day, the exhibition had already welcomed 150 visitors.
The event was inaugurated by BOKU Vice-Rector Doris Damyanovic, Erwin Eder (Executive Director of HORIZONT3000), and Elfriede More (Head of Department at the Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Regions and Water Management – BMLUK). Afterwards, indigenous activist, advocacy coordinator at culturalsurvival and academic Edson Krenak gave an expert talk on the role of civil society at the upcoming COP30 in Belém, Brazil.
The exhibition presents 15 arpilleras, hand-sewn fabric artworks that tell the stories of women in Brazil affected by dams and the climate crisis. Most pieces come from the Amazon states of Pará, Rondônia, and Amapá. Two additional works highlight São Paulo and Rio Grande do Sul, the latter of which experienced its worst flood in history in 2024.
“The Arpilleras are a way for us to express our fears and suffering – and in doing so, they give us strength,” says Maria Madalena de Oliveira from Itaituba, Pará.
“In the arpilleras, affected women denounce the multiple human rights violations present in their daily lives – both in the context of large infrastructure projects and of the climate crisis,” explains Jaqueline Damasceno from MAB’s national coordination in a video message. “For us, the exhibition is an important space to make our struggles visible.”
Vienna, BOKU: until November 8, 2025
Salzburg, Afro-Asiatisches Institut: November 25 – December 21, 2025
Innsbruck, Haus der Begegnung: January 12 – February 7, 2026
Vienna, Votive Church: from February 20, 2026
The exhibition is part of the project Climate Justice for the Amazonian People, carried out by the Movimento dos Atingidos por Barragens (MAB) together with ADPASE and horizont3000, supported by BMLUK, DKA Austria, and Sei So Frei Salzburg.
Kristina Kroyer, Coordinator of the Brazil Program at horizont3000, highlighted: “Many people know about deforestation in the Amazon. But few are aware of the severe consequences of the climate crisis for local communities. The arpilleras offer us glimpses into these lived experiences – and show the strength of women in resistance.”
Since 2021, MAB has maintained a digital archive of arpilleras, which now includes 190 works, with 50 newly added this week. The 15 pieces currently on display in Austria – such as Dia do Fogo, Xingu em Chamas, and Memórias da Enchente – are also featured in the online collection.
