Olinda Silvano's Kené Expands at MALI with New Materials and Monumental Scale

The Museo de Arte de Lima (MALI) presents 'Nokon kenera jatibian biribirishamanai (Mi kené brilla al mundo)', the first solo exhibition of Shipibo-Konibo artist Olinda Silvano (b. 1967). Curated by María Eugenia Yllia, the show traces key milestones in Silvano's career, centering kené as an ancestral knowledge transmitted among women and linked to spiritual and collective memory. The exhibition includes paintings, murals, textiles, and collaborative works with her son, artist Ronin Koshi. Recent pieces mark a turning point: created after her participation in the Río Corrientes laboratory led by Christian Bendayán, they incorporate silver leaf, turning the luminosity of kené visions into a physical presence. Silvano's practice has evolved from traditional textile designs to large-scale murals using industrial paint and rollers, a shift that parallels the Shipibo-Konibo community's migration to urban Lima's Cantagallo settlement. The show features a monumental diptych nearly five meters high and works from the 'biribirishamanai' series (2025) in acrylic and silver leaf. Silvano's work has traveled to over fifteen countries. The exhibition runs until September 20, 2026, co-organized by MALI and the Centro Amazónico de Antropología y Aplicación Práctica (CAAAP).