In my recent body of work, I have been researching and experimenting with historical natural dyes, such as Brazilwood ink - extracted in organic crop fields that do not endanger the life of the trees in the rainforest - or with ink extracted from other species that are not in danger of extinction due to environmental conditions in other continents. “Ibirapitanga” is a series of works directly connected to a contemporary problem in the Americas: cultural exploration and environmental destruction. The series of works is inspired by the colonial period of Brazilian history at the beginning of the 16th century when the Brazilwood tree became the first product explored by the Portuguese and traded in European countries during this period. Its precious red pigment extracted from the trunk was used for dyeing by the European aristocracy, where the color red was appreciated and hard to produce. The Portuguese, French, Dutch, and English made the original land inhabitants cut the trees and put the logs on their ships. These indigenous Tupi groups are named Brazilwood Ibirapitanga (Ibira=wood; Pitanga=red). After more than 300 years of exploration, the Brazilwood tree is almost extinct. Brazil got its name - Brazil - from the native Brazilwood tree: Pau Brasil. “Ibirapitanga” series embraces the connection to my original homeland, its culture, identity, and people, and the urgent need to preserve its memory and existence.