banana chandeliers by gonzalo fuenmayor at faena district miami beach

banana chandeliers in ‘eden’ installation by gonzalo fuenmayor at faena district miami beach
all images © designboom, unless otherwise credited

bananas: the long, yellow fruit with a suggestive shape are making a comeback in the art world thanks to columbian creative gonzalo fuenmayor. the object once made wildly popular by andy warhol with his pop-art movement is reappropriated by fuenmayor by attaching banana bundles to the stems of victorian chandeliers during art basel miami beach. a gorgeous, hanging art installation entitled ‘eden’ was on view at faena collaboratory, the construction site of the billion-dollar faena hotel, residences and rem koolhaas-designed cultural forum. a dinner was hosted in anticipation of the debut of the faena district miami beach in 2015 (slated to open this time next year). 

banana bundles have been attached to the stem of victorian chandeliers

the new work by fuenmayor was also tropical-themed with trans-american opulence and served as scenography for the dinner

the dinner setup during art basel miami beach

the table preparation comprises a colorful netting of material draped from the ceiling

food was served on dishes designed by dutch design-collective studio job

an argentine asado prepared by chef francis mallmann with huge portions of fish and meat cooked over on open flame 

gonzalo fuenmayor has used the banana chandeliers in his previous photographic ‘papare series’
image courtesy of gonzalo fuenmayor

the ‘papare series’ comprises victorian chandeliers attached to banana branches in exuberant tropical landscapes in the midst of a banana plantation, lit at night and then photographed. the theatrically and dramatic nature of the imagery evokes a certain kind of reconciliation or tense harmony between two disjointed realities. it examines ideas of exoticism and the complicit and amnesic relationship between ornamentation and tragedy. ‘I am interested in how ornamentation with its grace and excess has the capacity to camouflage and overshadow questionable circumstances of all kinds.’ fuenmayor says. ‘what initially began as a lighthearted attempt to exorcize and position myself as specifically ‘colombian’ -coming from a ‘banana republic’- evolved into an exploration of cultural hybridity and transnational identity.’

the banana has played a role throughout the history of art in a variety of forms including sculptural and illustrative

gonzalo fuenmayor:

as a native of barranquilla, colombia who is living in miami, he refers his roots, but detached from the tacit burden to address drugs and violence, the artist started drawing bananas instead. opulent victorian chandeliers and other elements, reminiscent of a decadent colonial past, proliferate from banana bunches, alluding to a tragic and violent history associated with banana trade worldwide. the artist earned his BFA from the school of visual arts in new york, NY and an MFA from the school of the museum of fine arts in boston in affiliation with tufts university in medford, MA. 

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