Refik, you were heavily inspired by the Yawanawá’s cultural history, folk music, and artworks — can you tell us how you embraced all of these aspects and integrated them into your creative process?

Refik Anadol
I believe art should be for anyone of any age and any background. One of the most powerful moments when visiting the village was asking the young artists their dreams. We had a beautiful time visiting the village, with the ceremonies, spiritual gatherings, and prayers. And there was a moment where we had free time and that’s when we asked what the young people are doing. When we saw these beautiful works from the young Yawanawá artists, it was amazing — you can see these very unique patterns, connections and beautiful colors. We just thought, it’s our duty to shine the light on this beautiful culture and co-create something together. To bring this culture to the world and to humanity. To say that these people who are protecting our lungs — the rainforest — and who are protecting their culture, they are the core inspiration.

Can you tell us about “Winds of Yawanawá”?

Refik Anadol
The artwork you are seeing here, I literally saw this in a vision, in the river next to the village. We had this special bath in the river after the ceremonies. We were talking about this big screen and dreaming of all these young Yawanawá artists, their paintings, with the wind. The wind is very powerful in the rainforest. The rain, the temperature. So I thought, “What happens if we imagine the future of art?” If we take this data from the weather, take beautiful cultural images, and use AI to do something beautiful and purposeful?