Amazônia : A Vivid Tribute to Indigenous Futures

Koöko Fleurs
Sep 30
2 min read

From September 30, 2025 to January 18, 2026, the Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac in Paris unveils Amazônia, a groundbreaking exhibition that reimagines the Amazon through the eyes of its Indigenous peoples.

Curated by anthropologist Leandro Varison and Indigenous artist Denilson Baniwa, Amazônia brings together over 200 works, including traditional artifacts, contemporary installations, photographs, videos, songs, and body art. Far from the romanticized image of untouched wilderness, the exhibition reveals the Amazon as a dynamic, pluralistic world, where ancestral knowledge and modern resistance coalesce.

Featured Works and Artistic Highlights

- Ka’apor Labret (1960–1972): A traditional lip ornament made from natural materials and vibrant feathers, symbolizing identity and social status among the Ka’apor people of Maranhão, Brazil.

- Feathered Headdresses: Striking ceremonial pieces crafted by various Indigenous communities, showcasing intricate techniques and symbolic color palettes that reflect cosmological beliefs.

- Fluorescent Paintings and Sculptures: Contemporary works that reinterpret ancestral myths and body scarification practices, often using bold colors and modern materials to challenge colonial narratives.

- Photographs and Videos: Visual documentation of daily life, rituals, and resistance movements, created by Indigenous photographers and filmmakers to reclaim representation.

- Body Art and Graphic Language: Ephemeral and immaterial art forms such as songs, spoken languages, and body painting, emphasizing the living, performative nature of Amazonian cultures.

- Installation by Rember Yahuarcani (Peru): A haunting painting titled Passeur d’âmes du Covid-19, portraying a soul guide navigating pandemic grief through Indigenous cosmology.

- Circle of Wooden Stakes: A symbolic installation representing communities that have chosen voluntary isolation, resisting external contact to preserve their way of life

Visitors are invited to explore themes of identity, spirituality, environmental stewardship, and cultural resilience, with objects like the Ka’apor labret—crafted from natural materials and vibrant feathers—symbolizing both heritage and defiance against deforestation.

The exhibition’s scenography is intentionally sober, allowing Indigenous perspectives to take center stage. Rather than immersing visitors in exotic spectacle, Amazônia fosters dialogue between ancestral traditions and contemporary expressions, challenging Western art history’s categorizations and amplifying Indigenous voices.

Through thematic chapters, the show explores creation myths, healing rituals, ecological wisdom, and visions for the future, offering a nuanced understanding of how humans, animals, spirits, and plants coexist in Amazonian cosmologies.

As part of the Brazil-France 2025 Season, the museum complements the exhibition with concerts, performances, and public programs featuring Amazonian artists. A bilingual catalog will be available in October 2025, deepening the experience for French and international audiences.

Practical Information

Location: Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, Paris 7th arrondissement

Start Date: September 30, 2025

End Date: January 18, 2026

Admission Fees:

- General admission: €14

- Reduced rate: €11

- Free entry: under 18s, EU residents under 26, and on the first Sunday of each month.

Opening Hours:

- Open daily (except Mondays, May 1st, and December 25th) from 10:30 AM to 7:00 PM

- Thursdays open until 10:00 PM

- Ticket counters close 1 hour before closing time