Brus Rubio - Joven pintor bora-huitoto

Brus Rubio Churay is a young bora-huitoto, born in 1984 at Pucaurquillo (Ampiyacu River), an area where some of the biggest problems against the amazonian ecosystem happened.

We have visited the exposition of this interesting painter, his works really dragged our attention. Through it we learned about the jungle and learned it's history. His paintings are made on wood bark, and all his inks are extractions of plants from the jungle.

Gallery's presentation. Texts: Cristian Bendayán.
El pintor nos cuenta parte de la historia del pueblo huitoto - murui, que está marcada por la terrible época que viviera durante el auge de la explotación del caucho, tiempo en que sufrió el abuso y la explotación, al punto de ser casi exterminado.

La obra de Brus Rubio (Pucaurquillo 1984) se levanta como una voz que exige recordar la historia de los huitoto - murui, reclamando una memoria que llegue hasta sus orígenes; es así que su pintura aborda temas sociales vinculados a los problemas que se suscitan en la comunidad y a los problemas políticos que aquejan a la Amazonía en general, sin dejar de lado la ilustración de costumbres ancestrales como fiestas tradicionales y mingas; respresenta también temas mitológicos sobre los orígenes del mundo huitoto - murui.

Con frecuencia, Brus se reúne con el curaca en la maloca que está en medio de Pucaurquillo, para aprender las historias, los mitos y los cantos y danzas ancestrales de su pueblo. [...]
Brus nos revela un sinfín de conocimientos; la cosmovisión huitoto - muray, aquella selva invisible que dibuja sobre corteza de llanchama, con colores extraídos de hojas, tubérculos, frutos, semillas y tierras, como para que recordemos nuestra identidad y responsabilidad como amazónicos [...].

Some of his paintings.

Denied Autonomy (La autonomía negada). The authorities like a board game, randomly gamble the luck of the indigenous tribes, making of them the living dead, but besides it, the huitotos and boras, hold a plant in their hands, as a symbol of life, which they take care of it responsibly.

The caucho exploitation at Pucaurillo (La explotación del caucho en Pucaurquillo). The ambition of the caucheros and the illusion of the boras, huitotos y acaimas tribes, made of the tribes slaves in exchange of some new clothes. From very far away they carried animal skins in exchange for an amount worth one roll of latex. But they did not realize in time that it was all an illusion, that later it will prejudice the tribe, leaving them without natural resources and generating social dislocation, by trying to act like their bosses. It was there that the cultural harmony of the tribes was destroyed, only memories of our grandfather's sadness towards such a humiliation.

Jitoma's Elevation and his blessing. (Elevación de Jitoma y su bendición) Jítoma lived on earth before, he was the sun's son, he always lived fatherless, since the Tiger, who was the lover of his mother, killed him. Once he learned about this, Jítoma got his revenge with the Tigre.

Documentary "The parts of the whole"("Las partes del todo")- Brus Rubio
"The parts of the whole" is a collective latinamerican production of a series of short-films of different people who's work of art manifest impact on the areas where they are living.

This video counts with the story of Brus Rubio Churay a 25 years old bora-huitoto, born at Pucaurquillo, Loreto. He works with natural inks where he uses them to create paintings that reflects quite a personal cosmovision of the world that surrounds him and traditions that are being lost by the contemporaries.

Más links:
Interview to Brus Rubio: Diario de Iquitos -