Gonzalo Fuenmayor

Papare Series, 2013, brings together the photography series Genesis 1-11, The Charms of Violence 1-4, Mister Bananaman, Mister Bananaman’s Spaceship and Levitation. In this body of work, Colombian artist Gonzalo Fuenmayor explores the exoticism of life on plantations, which is prevalent in literature and visual culture. 

In Genesis 1-11, the artist embellishes twilight in a banana plantation by hanging chandeliers upon bunches of bananas. Once illuminated, the glass sparkles in the darkness, its shine further camouflaging the reality of life on the plantations. In this way, Fuenmayor reminds viewers that the luxury enjoyed by so few is often built upon concealed violence against the majority. In the artist’s own words, Papare Series highlights the relationship between “ornamentation and tragedy”, with the beautiful glass teardrops reminiscent of opulence and decadence. The Papare Project video, created in 2014, documents the installation of the chandeliers.