MIF25: Santiago Yahuarcani: The Beginning of Knowledge at The Whitworth

Head down to The Whitworth for the first international solo exhibition of works by Santiago Yahuarcani, artist, Indigenous activist and leader of the Aimeni (White Heron) clan of the Uitoto people.

Working from a remote Amazonia town in northern Peru, Santiago Yahuarcani creates large-scale, narrative rich paintings exploring the relationship between the Uitoto people and the natural world. Using natural pigments and materials, Yahuarcani’s work exists outside of Western art history, instead harnessing the memories, history and wisdom of his ancestors, the sacred knowledge of medicinal plants, the sounds of the jungle, and Uitoto myths that explain the multiple configurations of the universe. Part of this year’s Manchester International Festival, the Beginning of Knowledge features more than 25 paintings from 2010 to the present, including new work and international loans.