event/exhibition
Digital Exhibition – La Fiebre del Banano / Banana Craze
Jean-François Boclé, “Tears of Bananaman” (2009-12), 300 kg of bananas carved by the artist on a wood base, 330 x 13 x 25 cm (all images courtesy the artists and curators)
Digital Exhibition – La Fiebre del Banano / Banana Craze.
ABOUT EXHIBITION
The US public got its first taste of bananas at the 1876 United States Centennial Exhibition. The Philadelphia event’s many displays included the new typewriter, Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone, the Statue of Liberty’s still-unattached right arm, and an exotic banana tree. The plant was so popular that it required its own security guard, and curious visitors could buy and try its phallic fruit for just 10 cents. At the time, bananas were largely unknown outside of their native locations, but they quickly became common household foods in Europe and North America.
Today, bananas are the most consumed fruit in the world, with an industry that generates 12 billion dollars per year. Developed countries account for 80% of the fruit’s consumers, though 75% of global exports come from Latin America and the Caribbean, where bananas are the most grown fruit. The crop’s dominance and ubiquity has had serious and far-reaching implications for the region, engendering exploitative labor systems, climate change, and migration.
Alberto Baraya, “Frutales Carmen Miranda” (2011), found objects, photographs, and graphite on paper
Find out more about the La Fiebre del Banano / Banana Craze
Find this digital exhibit HERE