MYTH AND RESISTANCE IN NEREYDA LÓPEZ AND SANTIAGO YAHUARCANI, AT THE CBA
The Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid presents Somos raíces (We Are Roots), an exploration of the creative worlds of Santiago Yahuarcani (Pucaurquillo, Peru, 1960) and Nereyda López (Pebas, Peru, 1965), two of the most prominent figures in contemporary indigenous art. Both artists draw from the oral traditions and cosmologies of their respective peoples—the Uitoto in Yahuarcani’s case, and the Tikuna and Cocama in López’s—to give voice to languages of resistance.
Through the paintings and sculptures selected by curators Isabella Lenzi and Rember Yahuarcani, one encounters the myths and spiritual visions of nations that are reclaiming their place in the world, proposing new models of coexistence between nature and human and non-human beings. This struggle also brings forward narratives that denounce extractivist policies and their impact on Amazonian communities.
Their work navigates the delicate space between recognition of contemporary indigenous art and the systems that continue to affect it—often without proper evaluation. Framed through an anti-colonial lens (distinct from the decolonial), the exhibition seeks to amplify these voices while remaining faithful to their original meaning, asserting an active stance against injustice.
Somos raíces features numerous works by both artists, some of which have never been shown outside of Peru, offering a broad perspective on their artistic production since the early 2000s. The exhibition has also served as a platform for the creation of new, site-specific pieces, enriching a representative collection that highlights their shared techniques and collaborative processes. Natural fabrics, plant-based dyes, and organic materials become essential to their artistic practice.
Somos raíces: Santiago Yahuarcani and Nereyda López is on view until September 14 at the Círculo de Bellas Artes, Alcalá 42, Madrid (Spain).
Related Topics
May interest you
ART, COMMUNITY, AND ECOLOGY IN THE MYSTICISM OF THE JAGUAR, AT THE MUSEUM OF AMERICA
By Álvaro de Benito
The Museum of America in Madrid is hosting El sueño del jaguar (The Dream of the Jaguar), an exhibition curated by visual artist Fredi Casco (Asunción, Paraguay, 1967) and photographer Fernando Allen (Asunción, Paraguay, 1957), which brings together artistic, ethnographic, and scientific perspectives on the jaguar and its symbolic and ecological significance.
BEN SHAHN, ON NONCONFORMITY
By Julia P. Herzberg, Ph.D.
Ben Shahn, On Nonconformity is the artist’s first retrospective in the United States in almost fifty years. Impeccably curated and designed, the exhibition aims to bring renewed critical attention to one of America’s most consequential modernists.
INTERVIEW WITH JULIA MORANDEIRA
By Álvaro de Benito
Julia Morandeira Arrizabalaga (Bilbao, Spain, 1986) is in her first year at the Reina Sofía Museum as Director of Studies, a position she has held since October 2024 and which, since March of this year, she has combined with the directorship of the Instituto Cáder de Arte Centroamericano (ICAC). This organization faces several challenges in its core missions of raising awareness and promoting, but above all, researching and disseminating the reality of contemporary Central American art. It has ten years ahead of it to do so, and the foundations are already being laid to ensure that its objectives are met. Morandeira welcomes us to her office at the Reina Sofía, a few floors above the building that houses the library and which marks its character and connection with divulgation, to talk about the project, her vision, and the progress and future that are already taking shape.
A GAZE INTO SALVADORAN AUDIOVISUAL ART AT THE REINA SOFÍA
From June 19 to 28, Madrid’s Reina Sofía Museum will host Los reyes de la página roja (The Kings of the Red Page), a program dedicated to contemporary audiovisual productions from El Salvador. Part of the series Other Visions of Central America, this selection has been curated by Salvadoran artist Patricio Majano, this year’s resident at the Instituto Cáder de Arte Centroamericano—an initiative promoted by the Reina Sofía Museum Foundation and the museum itself to support research and dissemination of Central American art.
AMAZONIAN MENTAL HEALTH AT THE ICPNA ENGRAVING MUSEUM
Luna Dannon presents an exhibition born from her experience leading a mental health project involving 105 Amazonian communities during the pandemic.
FIVE NATIVE ARTISTS CHOSEN FOR EITELJORG CONTEMPORARY ART FELLOWSHIP
The artists will be featured in Emerging Current, an exhibition opening in November at the Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis, showcasing bold and experimental works that reflect diverse contemporary Indigenous perspectives.
MOTHERHOOD AND INTERGENERATIONAL BONDS AT MUCEN: A WORK BY ARIANA MACEDO DOMÍNGUEZ
The visual artist, winner of the 2023 BCRP National Painting Prize, presents her latest solo exhibition—an interdisciplinary proposal that weaves together painting, textiles, and performance.
