From the forest to the museum: Notes on the artistic and spiritual collaboration between Ernesto Neto and the Huni Kuin people 1

The circulation of ayahuasca and Indigenous art in global urban networks shows the adaptability of Indigenous cultural practices, opening new possibilities for intercultural dialogue while raising issues of legality, intellectual property, and stereotyping. Installations by Brazilian artist Ernesto Neto, created with varying degrees of participation by the Huni Kuin people of Acre, Brazil, draw on ayahuasca healing traditions. Since around 2000, Indigenous groups in Brazil have organized ayahuasca experiences for urban middle-class participants, and Indigenous artists have entered contemporary art spaces only recently, unlike in Australia, Canada, and the United States where this began in the 1990s. The chapter examines Neto's collaborations with the Huni Kuin to reflect on authenticity, cultural appropriation, and commoditization.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Recently, installations of the Brazilian artist Ernesto Neto, with different degrees of Indian participation, have been presented in art museums in Bilbao, São Paulo, and Vienna. The beautiful tissue installations achieved part of their force from their references to ayahuasca healing by the Huni Kuin (Kaxinawa) people of the State of Acre in Brazil. It is interesting to note the convergence between the arrival of Indians to the ayahuasca urban circuit and the acquisition of space for Indian works in the arts system. Up until 2000 in Brazil, the consumption of the beverage was promoted mainly by Christian religions. From then on, Indian groups themselves began to organize experiences with ayahuasca attended by middle-class urban people. They also promoted visits to Indian villages in the Amazon. The insertion of Indian artists into contemporary art spaces started only a few years ago in Brazil, although it had already been happening in Australia, Canada, and in the United States since the 90's. The circulation of new forms of shamanism, of ayahuasca consumption, and of artistic objects and performances in national and international urban networks shows the great vigor and adaptability of Indian cultural practices. They represent rich, new possibilities for intercultural dialogue; at the same time, both moves raise delicate issues. First, the consumption of ayahuasca in Brazil is limited only to certain situations; abroad, frequently, it is forbidden. Second, in the case of artistic installations/performances, one can anticipate arguments about how collective intellectual property will be regarded and what are the risks of stereotyping alterity. This chapter will examine the works by Neto in collaboration with the Huni Kuin in order to offer preliminary reflections on these questions and others about authenticity, cultural appropriation, and commoditization.