Shinan Imabo

Shinan Imabo (Our Inspirations) is a collective of over 35 Shipibo-Konibo artisan women—embroiderers, painters, singers, and designers—founded in early 2021. The Shipibo-Konibo are an Indigenous group from the Amazon region of Peru, residing along the Ucayali River, which flows from the Andes and merges with the Amazon River in the north. The community has long maintained exchanges with neighbouring Indigenous groups such as the Machiguenga, Asháninka, and Yine, and they also have a significant presence in urban centres like Pucallpa and Lima, where they produce and trade their artistic creations.

The collective is based in Cantagallo, the largest Indigenous urban settlement in Peru. A central theme of their work is Kené, a visual language that embodies the Shipibo-Konibo worldview. In their language, there is no direct translation for “art”; instead, they speak of Kené, or “design.” These intricate geometric patterns—created traditionally by women—are found on ceramics, textiles, paintings, objects, and human skin. 

We will use these funds to continue painting and embroidering and deepening our artistic practice—an expression that not only reflects our identity as Shipibo artists, but also strengthens the cultural bonds that unite our community. This support will allow us to purchase materials, sustain our work, and affirm the value of our art, which has long been rooted in ancestral knowledge and the preservation of the land and the rainforest, currently threatened by private interests and extractive industries.

The grant will also help us support our homes and children’s education and allow us to respond to the collective needs of our community. Beyond the material aspects that are very important considering that we live in a very precarious condition, this opportunity brings visibility to our work and to the importance of our Shipibo culture, at a time when Indigenous peoples in Peru still face racism and structural violence despite the fact that Shipibo aesthetics are increasingly recognized beyond our territory.

As Shipibo women, we also want to emphasize how vital it is to care for our health—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. For us, looking after our bodies is a source of strength and continuity. It ensures that our knowledge, language, and traditions are not only preserved, but passed on with dignity and vitality to future generations.