ARCO Madrid: Booth 7A03 & 9NLM05

For the main section at ARCO Madrid (Booth 7A03) Richard Saltoun Gallery focuses on artists who will have a significant presence at Biennale Arte, Venezia, 2024: Anna Maria MAIOLINO (b. Italy, 1942 - ), recipient of the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement award; Bertina LOPES (b. Mozambique, 1924 - d. Italy, 2012) and Olga de AMARAL (b. Colombia, 1932 - ), both included in the 60th International Art Exhibition.

Other important highlights include works of paper by pioneering feminist artist, Eleanor ANTIN (b. USA, 1935 - ); sculptures by Lucia PIZZANI (b. Venezuela, 1975 -) and the seminal painting Suzanne by Francis PICABIA (b. 1879 - d. 1953 France). Works by Hessie, Paulo BRUSCKY and Gustavo Pérez MONZÓN will also be on view.

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For the fair's curated section (Booth 9NLM05), Millan (São Paulo) and Richard Saltoun Gallery (London/Rome) are pleased to jointly present the inaugural exhibition of indigenous artist and activist Daiara TUKANO (b. São Paulo, 1982) in Spain, within ARCOMadrid’s section, Nunca lo Mismo: Arte Latinoamericano, curated by José Esparza Chong Cuy and Manuela Moscoso.

Daiara Tukano is a member of the Erëmiri Hãusiro Parameri clan of the Yepá Mahsã people, known as the Tukano, from the Amazonian region of Alto Rio Negro. Her works are rooted in exploring her people's traditions and spirituality, often guided by her own dreams and visions induced by the native medicine of ayahuasca. She uses her practice as a tool to challenge colonialist legacies that silence and marginalize indigenous communities around the world. 

The exhibition will feature four distinct series, each exploring different key themes within Daiara’s practice. The Famílias Linguísticas - Línguas em Retomada series, resulting from the artist’s extensive research into indigenous linguistic trees in Brazil, highlights the vital connection between protecting indigenous territorial rights and environmental preservation. Shown alongside them are her intricate, China ink drawings from the exhibition Kithimori: Creation Memories at Richard Saltoun Gallery in Rome last year. The plants, animals, and human-like deities emerging from these works are drawn from Tukano’s histories about the creation of the universe, created during a residency in Rome.

The iconic Hori paintings, showcased at the 34th Bienal de São Paulo in 2021, represent Daiara’s visions induced by the ritualistic use of ayahuasca. The graphic patterns appearing on the works constitute a form of writing in Tukano culture. Finally, the small-scale, brightly coloured paintings Yaymahsã and Miriãporã mahsã, depict three eponymous woman-animal deities. This series debuted in 2023 at Millan for Daiara's Amõ Numiã solo exhibition, which presented the stories of the "first women", who created the planet and the universe.

Daiara Tukano presents traditional narratives through a unique feminine perspective, emerging as a powerful voice within the global conversation on eco-feminism, ecology, and Indigenous artistic practices. This exhibition in ARCOmadrid is yet another opportunity to share her message with an international audience. 

She recently held exhibitions in Brazil and Europe, including solos Kihtimori: Creation Memories, at Richard Saltoun Gallery in Rome (2023), Pamuri Pati – World of Transformation, at the Museu Nacional da República in Brasília (2023), in addition to group exhibition Dear Earth, at the Hayward Gallery in London (2023). Daiara was also the invited speaker for the public program The Future of Indigenous Art, Collections, and Exhibitions, accompanying the exhibition Siamo Foresta at Triennale Milano - the talks took place at Fondation Cartier in Milan and Museo delle Civiltà in Rome in October 2023.