Manchester Lit & Phil presents a guided tour of The Beginning of Knowledge, Santiago Yahuarcani’s first international solo exhibition at the Whitworth. The exhibition shares powerful Amazonian stories of memory, resistance, and Indigenous wisdom.
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. His work draws on ancestral memory, sacred knowledge of medicinal plants, and the sounds of the jungle, creating artworks that are urgent acts of education and resistance.
The Beginning of Knowledge spans key works from 2010 to the present, including portrayals of Uitoto origin stories and memories of the Putumayo genocide (1879–1912). The exhibition honours intergenerational legacies and explores how Indigenous knowledge can shape a more just and interconnected future.
The tour will be led by Darren Pih, Head of Exhibitions and Collections and co-curator of the exhibition, offering insight into Yahuarcani’s practice.
