All photos: Thomas Bauer
On October 1st, 2025, the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), will host the opening of a unique exhibition: Alerta Amazônia – When Fabric Speaks. The exhibition brings Arpilleras, intricate textile artworks created by women from the Brazilian Amazon, to Austria.
These works are more than art – they are testimonies. Originally developed as a form of resistance during the Chilean dictatorship, the arpillera technique has been adapted by the Movimento dos Atingidos por Barragens (MAB – Movement of People Affected by Dams) in Brazil. For over a decade, women in the Amazon have used needle, thread, and fabric scraps to narrate their lived experiences of environmental destruction, forced displacement, and the impacts of the climate crisis
Through these textile narratives, visitors will encounter powerful depictions of droughts that dry up entire rivers, forest fires that suffocate communities, and the resilience of women who transform suffering into art and collective action. Each piece is both a warning and a call for solidarity – a reminder that the global climate crisis touches all of us.
The official opening will take place from 12:15 to 14:00 at the Aula, Franz Schwackhöfer-Haus, BOKU University, Peter-Jordan-Straße 82, 1190 Vienna.
The program includes:
Welcome by Doris Damyanovic, Vice-Rector of BOKU University
Elfriede More, Head of Department for International Climate and Environmental Affairs, Austrian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Climate and Environment (BMLUK)
Erwin Eder, Director of horizont3000
Video messages from MAB Brazil
Expert discussion on civil society engagement in the global climate agenda with indigenous activist and writer Edson Krenak
Closing remarks, followed by refreshments
Moderation will be provided by Daniela Paredes Grijalva
Salzburg: November 2025 – January 2026
Innsbruck: February – March 2026
Vienna: March - April 2026
This exhibition is part of the project Climate Justice for the Amazon People. It invites the Austrian public to listen, reflect, and stand in solidarity with communities whose struggles and resilience remind us of the urgent need for global climate justice.
Financed by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Regions and Water Management (BMLUK) and DKA Austria, in cooperation with AAI Salzburg, Sei so frei Salzburg, Welthaus Innsbruck, BOKU University, and Votivkirche.
More info: www.alertaamazonia.com
BOKU University Invitation
