Sara Flores embraces Dior lady Art as a global platform for showcasing an ancestral art form

The new series of Dior Talks – hosted by Paris-based journalist Katya Foreman – is dedicated to the eagerly anticipated ninth edition of Dior Lady Art. Eleven global artists have been invited to transform the iconic Lady Dior handbag into a unique piece of art.

In the latest episode, Peruvian artist Sara Flores approaches the Lady Dior as a global canvas to promote Kené, the ancient visual language of the Shipibo-Conibo people, indigenous to the Ucayali River in the Peruvian Amazon. Traditionally applied as body painting and on ceramic and textiles intended for clothing, using local plant-based pigments such as turmeric and annatto, the painstaking artistic practice of Kené is passed down by mothers to daughters. Flores’ intricate geometric paintings of labyrinths, images that come to her in visions triggered by psychoactive plants grown in the jungle, reflect the complex interconnected web of life found within the Amazonian rainforest.

For Dior Lady Art, Flores celebrates the traditions of her people with two unique handbags directly inspired by her Kené designs, crafted from vegan pineapple leather and tocuyo cotton hand-painted with vegetal dyes. The first, a medium-sized model, features a handle adorned with a cosmic serpent, its surface sparkling with a constellation of black beads, while the second, a mini bag, is embellished with a maze of shimmering silver gems. Also embroidered with a serpentine motif, the bags convey the concept of spiritual healing through the intentional paths traced by the strokes. These remarkable pieces do more than just captivate the eye, they engage the senses, shedding light on the enduring legacy of ancient cultural traditions as they carry a message of respect for the natural world. 

Download the episode to learn more about Sara Flores’ universe and the Dior Lady Art experience.

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