UJ #7 - Peruvian Amazon

AMAZONIAN ART
“I think that artists from the jungle have realized that they can
have a political role,” explains Bendayán. “I think that art production
today is a reaction to the government’s refusal to recognize
the issues – they are seen as distant, as if they aren’t part of Peru.
This attitude spawned a show called Green Power in 2011. And
perhaps the most precise political show that we have presented
this year is From their long cry, the Amazon was formed. At this
moment there is a general concern for the rights of the Amazonian
people – the right to own your land, to protect your traditions
and culture. There’s a strong concern to recuperate history, to recognize
the traumatic episodes and expose the hidden moments
– from the discovery of the Amazon, to the issues with rubber,
petroleum, wood, and coca.”
Indian line - Christian Bendayán (2011).
As Bendayán suggests, there is currently a tendency to revalue
local traditions in new ways. The “kenés” (traditional hand-drawn
graphic designs) done by Shipibo women, have become present
in contemporary art. Legends are being rescued and recognized
as the basis of Amazonian identity, rather than thought of as
whimsical, exotic myths. Amazonian art is taking off once again,
in a new, different, and transformative way.