Documentary on Kené Artist Sara Flores Premieres at Toronto International Film Festival
On 12 September 2023, "The Hummingbird Paints Fragrant Songs," a documentary centered on Shipibo-Conibo artist Sara Flores, made its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival, followed by a second showing on 19 September. Directed by Matteo Norzi and Èlia Gasull Balada, the film chronicles Flores's rise from the Peruvian Amazon to global recognition. The documentary also reflects on Norzi and Leonor Caraballo's early 2010s exploration of shamanic rituals, which inspired the 2016 film "Icaros: A Vision" and the establishment of the Shipibo-Conibo Center. It showcases Flores crafting kené patterns with her family and highlights her exhibitions, including those at Clearing in New York (2023) and White Cube in London (2025), while addressing her challenges with aging and the need to preserve Indigenous culture amidst deforestation.
Key facts
- The Hummingbird Paints Fragrant Songs premiered on 12 September at the Toronto International Film Festival and screens again on 19 September.
- The documentary is directed by Matteo Norzi and Èlia Gasull Balada.
- Sara Flores is a septuagenarian kené artist from the Shipibo-Conibo people in the Peruvian Amazon.
- Flores began signing her work in the 1970s on the advice of a visiting anthropologist.
- She has had exhibitions at Clearing in New York (2023) and White Cube in London (2025), and her work is in the Peruvian pavilion at the Venice Biennale.
- Flores collaborated with Dior on a limited artist's edition of the Lady Dior bag.
- Her retrospective at Lima's Museo de Arte was the institution's first solo exhibition dedicated to an Indigenous artist.
- Proceeds from sales of her work go to her family and organizations working toward Indigenous self-governance.
Entities
Artists
- Sara Flores
- Matteo Norzi
- Leonor Caraballo
- Èlia Gasull Balada
- Agnes Martin
- William Morris
- Piet Mondrian
Institutions
- Shipibo-Conibo Center
- Dior
- Venice Biennale
- Clearing
- White Cube
- Museo de Arte
- Toronto International Film Festival
- Brooklyn Museum
- Peruvian pavilion
- São Paulo International Film Festival
- DOC NYC
- Clearing gallery
- Hyperallergic
Locations
- Peruvian Amazon
- Peru
- New York
- London
- Paris
- Lima
- Venice
- Brooklyn
- Toronto
- Amazon rainforest
- Bowery
- Central Park
- São Paulo
- Brazil
- Italy