Shamanic Visions at the Musée du Quai Branly

Event Description

The Quai Branly Museum explores hallucinogenic images in creation, using ayahuascan art in the Peruvian Amazon as a case study. To quote the museum’s website: “While ayahuasca literally ‘vine of the dead’ in Quechua has fascinated the Western world for just half a century, after it was popularised by the Beat Generation, this hallucinogenic beverage occupies a central place in the social life of many indigenous societies in the Western Amazon.

Traditionally ingested in a shamanic context, mainly for therapeutic or divination purposes, this ‘psychedelic’ substance is also closely linked to artistic creation. The ‘visions’ or hallucinations it induces are often cited as a leading source of inspiration by indigenous artists in the Peruvian Amazon.”