Aline Baiana’s works explore the conflicts between the Global North and South from a social justice perspective, exposing the environmental impacts of industrialization. Her work engages with the testimonies of fishermen, shellfish gatherers, artisans, and allies of the quilombola struggle, amplifying the voices of these resistance narratives.

Ouro negro é a gente [Black Gold is the People] (2025), the film presented at the 36th Bienal de São Paulo, confronts the contradictions of developmentalist logic by examining oil extraction in Brazil and its trail of environmental violence against quilombola communities in exploited territories. On the Maré Island, in the Baía de Todos-os-Santos, the local population fights to preserve their way of life and protect the surrounding ecosystem, even as they face the profound consequences of industrialization and the so-called “progress.” While major infrastructure projects – such as the Mataripe refinery and the Aratu harbor – are celebrated as emblems of national advancement, they are, in reality, sources of destruction and environmental racism for traditional communities, whose territory has been systematically degraded.

By questioning the very notion of “wealth,” the artist critiques the values underpinning the development model imposed by elite interests. Through immersive engagement with the testimonies of those fighting for survival under a system that marginalizes them, the film delivers a powerful indictment of how capitalism perpetuates inequality and exploitation. In doing so, it reactivates a historical narrative of struggle while radically challenging the official discourses of progress and development.

Ouro negro é a gente looks beyond the promises of modernization to examine the social, environmental, and cultural consequences of a model that continues to exclude those who have historically been left behind. The film compels us to rethink what we mean by wealth – and to ask, ultimately, who it is meant to serve.