Single Channel Video Installation mono sound, Ligth Box, Wood engraving and paper variable dimensions duration: 23 min
you don’t have a reign over tropical trade
The revision of paradise intertwines deeply with the legacy of Chiquita Bananas, formerly known as the United Fruit Company. For Chiquita, the paradisiacal imagery of lush banana plantations has long been a cornerstone of its marketing and branding efforts. However, this revision necessitates a critical examination of the company's role in shaping the landscapes it once depicted as utopian. The Massacre of the Banana Workers (Masacre de las Bananeras) stands as a haunting reminder of the darker realities underlying Chiquita's operations, highlighting the exploitation and oppression faced by workers in the pursuit of profit. As the revision unfolds, the connection with Chiquita Bananas underscores the imperative of confronting the company's history of labor abuses and social injustices, challenging the sanitized narratives that have long obscured the truth behind the fruit on our tables.
The revision of paradise also intersects with the displacement experienced by communities such as Cacarica in the wake of industrial expansion and resource extraction. From the perspective of the United Fruit Company and its successors, including Chiquita Bananas, these displacements might be framed as necessary sacrifices for economic development. However, the reality for communities like Cacarica tells a different story—a narrative of dispossession, violence, and environmental degradation. The revision prompts a critical reevaluation of the costs and benefits associated with such projects, challenging the notion of paradise as it clashes with the lived experiences of those forcibly uprooted from their homes. Through the lens of Cacarica's displacement, the revision underscores the urgent need to center the voices and experiences of marginalized communities in discussions surrounding economic progress and corporate responsibility.