Peru Pavilion 2026: Sara Flores, From Other Worlds

The project is titled ‘Sara Flores: De otros mundos’ (From other worlds) and is curated by Issela Ccoyllo and Matteo Norzi. The project is organised by Patronato Cultural del Perú and ICPNA Cultural.

This is the first time an indigenous female artist will occupy this national pavilion. This visibility matters. Renowned for the symbolic depth of her practice, Flores constructs a visual universe in dialogue with the ancestral knowledge of the Shipibo-Konibo people, the community to which she belongs. Her works, created on fabrics dyed with natural pigments and covered with the geometric patterns known as kené, are not mere decorations: they are maps of knowledge that express a spiritual relationship with the environment, memory, and life itself. Each line, each form, responds to a network of meanings that connect the body, nature, and the cosmos. The curatorial project, led by Issela Ccoyllo and Matteo Norzi, aims to highlight the relevance and universal reach of these visual practices, which have transcended time to become living languages. The proposal engages with global debates that question the limits of contemporary art and the colonial frameworks that have historically marginalized Indigenous expressions as peripheral. Lizardo Cauper Pezo, president of the Shipibo-Konibo-Xetebo Council (COSHIKOX), stated: “This achievement symbolizes the strength and collective spirit of our Shipibo-Konibo-Xetebo Nation. Through the work of Sara Flores, the voice of our living culture will be heard in Venice—a culture that continues to defend its territory, identity, and ancestral knowledge. The Biennale will serve as a platform for cultural diplomacy, to draw attention to the challenges facing our land, and to affirm that the ways of life of Indigenous peoples do not belong to the past, but to the future of humanity.” From Other Worlds invites a shift: it acknowledges the aesthetic and epistemological power of an art that does not conform to Western canons, yet enters into dialogue with them from a critical and deeply rooted perspective in community experience.

What to expect:
Installation