Shamanism is a set of knowledge, beliefs and traditional activities practiced by the shaman, a specialist capable of entering a trance to travel to other realms or realities. Aided by his spirit allies and objects of power, such as costumes, musical instruments, amulets, weapons, inhalers, pipes and trance-inducing substances, the shaman diagnoses and cures ills, divines and predicts the future to solve critical situations experienced by the individuals and the community.

The exhibition has been curated by the art historian Constantino Manuel Torres, who has spent more than 40 years studying this interesting topic of history, art and anthropology. Mapuche shamanism has a prominent place in the exhibition, curated by the researcher Juan Ñanculef Huaiquinao, a specialist in the tradition and ancestral wisdom of his people.

There are approximately 140 archaeological and ethnographic objects and audiovisual documents, representative of continental shamanism, from North America to Tierra del Fuego. Through their shapes, materials, images and their ability to inspire contemporary artists, these objects establish a fascinating relationship between shamanism and art.