Elena Valera is a teacher healer, embroiderer and painter born in 1968 in Pucallpa, Alto Ucayali, Peru. Her knowledge of the Shipibo-Konibo culture has been transmitted to her daughters Jimena and Estefany Pinedo Valera and is evident in their work. Her visual repertoire consists of the flora, fauna, daily life and customs of her people. They all preserve their traditions in a contemporary way representing mythological characters and sacred beings and often incorporate traditional Shipibo designs known as Kené.

These intricate designs with highly complex geometric patterns are the heritage of their ancestors. "I have painted for the love of who I am and for my daughters to inherit this pride and hold on to what we have and what we are as Shipibos." In 2018, Elena was invited to speak at the Parliament of the World's Religions in Toronto, Canada and Elena has exhibited internationally, including the important group exhibition “Amazonias” @ Matadero in Madrid, Spain in 2019. Elena, Estefany and Jimena were part of the group exhibition “The Invisible Forest” @ Gallery 46 in London, England, the 2019 Bioneers Conference in the San Francisco Bay Area and at Dharma College in Berkeley, California. Elena’s work is included in important Peruvian collections of art.