Alexia Benavent-Rivera
College of Fine Arts Studio Art (MFA)
Peels so Good (circa 1944)
Identity and cultural background are huge driving forces in my art practice. I am Puerto Rican, Panamanian, and Ukrainian, and the diasporas endured by these groups have strong histories that I refer to in my work. Recently I have been focusing on the Banana Wars in Central and South America, a time of brutal greed and American imperialism that too often gets brushed under the rug. The effects of these times are still felt today by millions of people in Central and South America, so I work to create awareness of the issue and hold a space for those affected.
I use a combination of textiles and ceramics for these pieces for a multitude of reasons, including the juxtaposition of the soft and approachable fabric banana and the solid rigidity of the ceramic frogs. The frog shapes are hand built out of porcelain clay and arranged into mass swarms or colonies, which has an amplifying effect on their presence and ability to hold space. Their coloration is inspired by the history of countless workers stained blue by the Bordeaux Mix pesticide used on plantations, and the bananas are a symbol of a past empire gone to rot and being reclaimed by the land and people it used to rule. My primary mediums of choice have become print, ceramics, and textiles, each of them holding significance in my practice as very process-based mediums. The process of using my hands to create adds a level of personal involvement reminding viewers of the invisible hand.
Artwork Description:
The rotten banana exterior lampoons how this bright and sweet fruit forged the backbone of a dozen corrupt regimes propped up by imperialist corporations. The animating force comes not from the long since sold off banana flesh but from an inner layer of frogs, representing the people of these nations. The poses shown are emblematic of Chiquita Banana company ads, which played up the exoticism of Latin American women to sell their products.