Bu’ú Kennedy (1978, Alto Rio Negro, Brazil) belongs to the Ye’pamahsã people, known as Tukanos, of the Üremirin Sararó Clan – Patrilinear family of the Ye’pamahsã people from the Amazon area. He shares its name with the ‘tucunaré’, an enchanted fish from the Amazon rivers. Traditionally, that name is given to men with short and brave lives. A jaguar healer, Bu’ú is from a lineage of Bahsese practitioners, forms of ancestral blessing and healing. To also become a Yaí wá (jaguar), following his ancestral path, he underwent a series of ritual initiations to become able to perform this role. In addition to his artistic practice, Bu’ú works throughout Brazil carrying out the mission of healing sick people, holding ceremonies, and leading projects focused on preserving and promoting knowledge of indigenous peoples, defending their culture, and the natural environment to guarantee the maintenance of future generations.

His visual production is based on marquetry, a technique he learned at the School of Arts of the Dirson Costa Institute, which he attended between 2005 and 2007. The method derives from juxtaposing and fitting cutted fragments of wood to form landscapes, motifs and symbols. Bu’ú’s compositions feature graphics, colors and representations drawn from his culture, revealing to us the potential of art in shaping knowledge about the world and society. In addition to his visual production, the artist also directs and writes theater plays, such as Sapo Taro Bekê (2006), Tui-Sá Kumurõ (2009), and Ensinamento do Beija Flor (2010). In 2011, he served as coordinator of the Casa das Culturas Indígenas, a cultural project held in Cotia, Brazil.

At 22 years old, Bu’ú moved to Manaus and, later, to São Paulo, where he currently lives. He participated in group exhibitions, including: Ritos e alegorias da natureza, at Zipper Galeria, in São Paulo, Brazil (2023); Moquém_Surarî: Arte indígena contemporânea, at the Museum of Modern Art (MAM-SP), in São Paulo, Brazil (2021); Continental Biennial of Contemporary Indigenous Arts, in São Paulo, Brazil (2011). In 2009, he held his first solo exhibition entitled, Artes Indígenas do Amazonas, at Casa da Cultura, in Itaguaí, Brazil. His works can be found in the collections of the Museu do Índio, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and in institutions in China, Germany and France.