Santiago Yahuarcani: The Beginning of Knowledge
The Whitworth presents the first international solo exhibition of works by Santiago Yahuarcani – artist, Indigenous activist and leader of the Áimeni (White Heron) clan of the Uitoto people.
Working from Pebas, a remote town in northern Peru, Yahuarcani creates large-scale, narrative-rich paintings using natural dyes on llanchama—a bark cloth made from the ojé tree native to the Amazon. Yahuarcani’s work exists outside of Western art history, instead harnessing ancestral memory, the sacred knowledge of medicinal plants, and the sounds of the jungle, to create artworks that are urgent acts of education and resistance.
The Beginning of Knowledge brings together key works from 2010 to the present day, showcasing his profound visual storytelling over the last fifteen years. From portrayals of Uitoto origin stories to memories of the enslavement of the Uitoto people during the Putumayo genocide (1879-1912), the works honour and preserve intergenerational legacies and invite us to consider how Indigenous knowledge can shape a more just and interconnected future.
The exhibition is presented as part of the 2025 Manchester International Festival. After the premiere at the Whitworth, the exhibition will tour to Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand, São Paulo and Museo Universitario del Chopo, UNAM, Mexico City in 2026 and 2027.
