THE ELECTRIC GALLERY
The Amazon Project
The Usko-Ayar (Quecha term for "Spiritual Prince")
is more than an art school. It is an institution devoted to the rescue
and preservation of the knowledge and the traditions of the indigenous
people of the Peruvian Amazon. Their art is a documentation of the flora,
fauna, and culture of the Amazon, and it promotes and preserves the traditional
knowledge of medicinal and other plants of this region.
Usko-Ayar painters are inspired by the flora and fauna of this jungle habitat, and recreate their personal experience in their paintings. Ranging in age from 8 to 24 years, these young artists come from humble families. The descriptions of the paintings that you see here are the translations into English of the comments of the painters themselves. Select the image on the left above to go to their paintings.
Why do we feature these artists? - Origins of the Project:
The Usko-Ayar Amazonian School of Painting was created in 1988 through a collaboration of Peruvian painter and Shaman, Pablo Amaringo, and the Colombian anthropologist Luis Eduardo Luna and his wife, Sirpa Rasanen. The first pupils remain today as teachers, and the school has more than 700 students. The school is open to all and is free of costs. Art materials and other expenses are met by sales of paintings; half is paid to the painter.
We now have an exhibit of nineteen of Pablo's paintings in the gallery. Seven of these pieces were in the inaugural exhibit of the American Visionary Museum which opened in Baltimore in November, 1995. Six others were in the Rain Forest Visions exhibition at the San Diego Museum of Man, which concluded January 4, 1997. Select the image on the right above to go directly to his paintings.
You can view an image of the Usko-Ayar School itself and a number of the students. These riverene people, the ribeneros (cabocios in Brazil) constitute the main population in the Amazonian jungle areas, and are descendents of diverse indigenous peoples. Their religion and culture contain elements of the ancient civilizations of the region, with strong Catholic and other European influences.
Take a walking tour through the Amazon Project, or read about Pablo Amaringo and his Visions. You may want to browse the limited edition photographs of academy-award nominee Jean-Pierre Dutilleux in our Adventures section. You can take a shortcut to move among all the rooms of the gallery.
These paintings and photographs are available for purchase
from The Electric Gallery. We'd also appreciate your giving us your comments:
[email protected]
Order, comment or request information:
Main Lobby