Santiago Yahuarcani

Santiago Yahuarcani (b. 1960) is a self-taught artist, and an indigenous leader of the Uitoto peoples. His mother, Martha López Pinedo, was a descendant of Gregorio López, the only member of the Aimeni clan (the white heron clan) who emigrated from La Chorrera –today part of the Colombian Amazon– to the Ampiyacu River region –now northern Peruvian Amazon– as part of the transfers of enslaved indigenous populations to work in the rubber industry. His work revolves around the documentation of indigenous knowledge, Amazonian ontologies and the policies of genocide against its people.

He was part of the 14th Gwangju Biennale in 2023 and he has been invited to the 60th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, and also the Toronto Biennial of Art and the 14th Bienal do Mercosul. His works are part of the collection of the Tate Gallery, Reina Sofia Museum, MASP, Kadist, Van Abbemuseum, Museo de Arte de Lima, among others.