The avocado legacy. Deforestation, revolution, a new beginning, tapestry
2023
from the Conflict Avocados project 2023
- Medium
- avocado-dyed cotton, marigold-dyed cotton
- Measurements
- 265.0 × 3740.0 cm
- Place/s of Execution
- Mexico City, Mexico
- Accession Number
- 2024.158
- Department
- Contemporary Design and Architecture
- Credit Line
- National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Commissioned by the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Purchased with funds donated by The Andrew & Geraldine Buxton Foundation, 2024
© Fernando Laposse - Gallery location
- Not on display
- About this work
-
Spanning forty metres, this handmade tapestry depicts a powerful visual narrative capturing the complex consequences of avocado production in Mexico. Sewn together to form interconnected scenes, fabrics dyed with avocado seed pigment and marigold flowers illustrate the entangled stories of the Monarch butterfly, the global avocado trade, and the struggles and victories of the people of Cherán, an indigenous community in Michoacán, Mexico who in 2011 staged an uprising against illegal loggers. This work celebrates the community’s resilience and commitment to protecting their home and the surrounding forest, while contextualising their story within the broader workings of the avocado industry.