Hifa Cybe, also known as Luiza Jesus do Prado, is a Brazilian transdisciplinary artist whose work lies at the complex intersection of art, science, and politics. Born in Guaratinguetá, São Paulo, in 1988, and currently residing in the state capital, Cybe employs various artistic tools to explore themes such as memory, decolonization, marginalization of femininity, and structural violence. Her work, which moves across multiple media, provides a rich field for analyzing the relationships between contemporary art and digital colonialism.
The concept of digital colonialism refers to contemporary forms of domination and exploitation that occur through digital technologies, replicating historical patterns of territorial and economic colonialism. Digital platforms, often controlled by corporations based in the Global North, dictate cultural, linguistic, and aesthetic norms, marginalizing artistic expressions from subordinated communities. Within this context, Hifa Cybe’s artistic practice emerges as a strategy of resistance and a critique of these dynamics.
Decolonization is a central axis in Cybe’s research, reflected in her critical approach to memory, identity, and power. In her works, the artist deconstructs hegemonic narratives, repositioning historically marginalized bodies and experiences. In the digital environment, this practice manifests in the appropriation of technological platforms to disseminate alternative discourses, challenging the hierarchy imposed by informational colonialism. By exploring new media and the interaction between art and technology, Cybe re-signifies the presence of dissident bodies in spaces dominated by exclusionary logic.
The relationship between digital colonialism and mental health is also prominent in her production. Cybe’s work investigates how historical traumas, gender violence, and desensitization processes are amplified by the digital environment. Her research on psychopathologies and the use of psilocybin as a therapeutic tool exemplify how the artist proposes solutions to the harmful effects of hyperconnectivity and the massive consumption of suffering imagery. Her critique of capitalism, another facet of her research, aligns with the understanding of digital colonialism as a phenomenon intrinsically linked to neoliberal exploitation.
Additionally, the presence of feminism in her work reinforces the articulation between gender issues and coloniality in the digital sphere. Digital feminism seeks to utilize technologies to subvert patriarchal structures and give visibility to marginalized narratives. Cybe’s artistic production aligns with this movement by proposing a critical aestheticization of violence against feminized and dissident bodies.
By examining Hifa Cybe’s artistic production through the lens of digital colonialism, it becomes evident that her work not only denounces oppressive structures but also articulates forms of resistance and reinterpretation of these dynamics. Her transdisciplinary approach, which incorporates elements of science and philosophy, expands the possibilities of contemporary art as a political tool. Thus, Cybe is part of a broader movement of Latin American artists who challenge the colonial dynamics perpetuated in the digital environment, claiming spaces for autonomy and expression.
A critical investigation of Hifa Cybe’s work allows for an understanding of how art can function as a field of tension and resistance against digital colonialism. Her production reveals the complexity of the interactions between memory, identity, and technology, challenging the hegemonic structures that continue to shape the collective imagination in the digital era.