About Us


Arte Amazonia was founded by Leah and Heiko Dittmer promoting greater awareness of the Amazon through art. Heiko lived in Venezuela for 20 years, where he traveled extensively leading tours in remote regions of the jungle and retreating as often as possible to his hand built traditional house in the Andes.

In 1999, Leah joined one of his expeditions and they immediately shared in a connection with their love of nature and in simple living. Leah was born in Toronto and grew up in NY. She has lived over 10 years in Europe where they started their family and developed the project with a small gallery, art exhibitions, festivals, charity events, and children workshops.

 

ARTE AMAZONIA has enabled her to fuse her interest in indigenous cultures, natural products, sustainable living with her background of studies in international relations, art history, including over a decade of work experience in the design field.

In loving memory

of Heiko Dittmer

3/29/2013


Inspired by Heiko's passion and her love for Amazonian indigenous cultures,  Leah continues the art and adventure that they both had shared. She believes that it is through art that we can better know ourselves and others. Heiko always felt that they are the heart and soul of the Amazon, and that we still have the opportunity to know our brothers and sisters before their way of life and knowledge becomes fragments found only in museums.


Below: The Autana Tepui, Venezuelan, Amazon

Founded in 2000 in the shadow of the Autana Tepui located in the Venezuelan Amazon, it is believed according to the Piaroa, that this flat topped mountain, is the base of the sacred tree of life.



Vision and Work


  • Our art installations express conceptual indigenous concepts by employing natural and traditional objects combined with contemporary elements.
  • Our exclusive Rainforest Workshop is a focus on materials and the daily life of the Amazon. We walk student through a unique hands on experience with authentic Amazon museum quality objects presented with a multi-media power point presentation.
  • The Amazonia Collection - an online and mobile collection: documenting and presenting traditional indigenous objects.


Transcending the mere objects themselves, Arte Amazonia

extracts the ancient essence and projects them into todays world.

The Cosmic Anaconda @ SEM
The Cosmic Anaconda @ SEM

Above: The Cosmic Anaconda is comprised of 201

 Yanomami baskets, embodying a mythical being from ancient

legends symbolic of ancient knowledge and transformation.