Uýra Sodoma


Uýra is a Brazilian Indigenous travesti artist also known by the stage name Uýra Sodoma. She holds a degree in biology and a master’s degree in ecology, and works in the field of art education. Uýra advocates for LGBTQIAPN+ rights and for the protection of the Amazon rainforest.
IG uyrasodoma

Biography

Uýra was born in the village of Mojuí dos Campos, near Santarém in the state of Pará, in 1991. At the age of five, she moved with her parents and older sister to the capital city of Manaus, where they began life in an urban and marginalized environment. Her great-grandparents were migrants from the backlands of Ceará.
Her mother worked as a housekeeper, and her father was a tire repairman. She studied in public schools and chose to pursue biology after being encouraged by one of her teachers. She was able to complete her degree in biology thanks to various temporary jobs that helped support her throughout her studies, and later earned a master's degree in ecology from the National Institute of Amazonian Research. She worked in art education with riverside communities through the Fundação Amazônia Sustentável, where she also coordinated the “Incenturita” Project, benefiting 200 riverside and Indigenous children and adolescents from various regions of Amazonas.
Uýra Sodoma, an artist also known by the nickname "The Walking Tree," emerged during the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff in 2016, with the aim of sparking intersectional discussions around environmental issues, conservation, and both LGBT and Indigenous rights in her region and globally. Uyra stands for Uyrapuru, meaning the "singing bird".
The transformation into Uýra takes about two hours of makeup and assembly, always involving elements from nature: natural dyes, shells, branches, seeds, leaves, flowers, bark, fibers, and feathers. In her performances, Uýra transforms into animals and plants to denounce environmental abuses. Her performances take place across a variety of settings, ranging from forests to cities, and from galleries to schools.


“Everything that lives, changes”


— Uýra Sodoma



She is among the artists featured in the book Eco-Lógicas Latinas, which highlights Latin American artists and cultural projects that incorporate ecology into their work.

Awards and recognition

  • 2020 – Featured on the cover of Vogue Brazil
  • 2023 – FOCO Prize 2023
  • 2023 – Sim à Igualdade Racial Award, in the category "Art in Motion"
  • 2022 – PIPA Prize 2022
  • 2021 – Featured in "Falas da Terra", a special program by Rede Globo on Indigenous Peoples Day
  • 2017 – Winner of the Rival Rebolado drag queen competition, Manaus edition.

Works

Performances

In addition to exhibitions in international institutions in countries such as Austria, France, the Netherlands, Italy, and San Francisco, Uýra has also showcased work in:

Filmography

2022 – Uýra: The Return of the Forest, directed by Juliana Curi, featuring appearances by Indigenous activists and leaders