Nereyda Lopez

Nereyda Lopez (b. 1965, Pebas; lives and works in Pebas, Peru) is a self-taught sculptor of Tikuna and Kukama ancestry. Her grandparents, nomadic in nature, traversed the Amazon River. According to their children, her great-grandfather was a sorcerer who lived in the jungle alone and morphed into a spirit to protect them. She is a descendant of a family of fearless women who engage in various activities, from farming and fishing to painting on canvas and crafting sculptures and masks. She works with her husband, the Uitoto painter Santiago Yahuarcani from northern Amazonia.