Where Do Avocados Come From?,Inestimable Azar,
Bienal Femsa, Michoacán, Mexico, 2020-21
Where do avocados come from? is the most frequently asked question about avocados on Google. Débora Delmar answers this question in this installation by reproducing this fruit commissioned to ceramics, wood and copper artisans from the state of Michoacán. The detail and care in these pieces speaks of the fetishism that has been built around this consumer good and that involves everything from it’s association to health and lifestyle to the production of endless merchandise. The international demand for avocado has made Michoacán its first global exporter, creating an economy that has a strong impact on the state in different ways and where this fruit is practically used as currency. These handmade replicas of avocados coexist in the facility with several Imbera brand refrigerators. Its display refers to a post-minimalist sculpture, articulated with industrial materials. Its finish contrasts with the manual production of avocados.
Like the fruits, these refrigerators speak of a global trade: Imbera, a Mexican company founded in 1941 owned by Grupo Femsa, is "one of the world leaders in commercial and industrial refrigeration." As in other projects of by the artist, in this installation Delmar seeks to give some visibility to the production processes behind consumer goods and objects - which are totally occluded from the buying and selling circuits. In this way, the apparent artisan work in the replicas of the avocados underscores that the global production of the fruit, acquired without much difficulty in any supermarket on the planet, depends originally on a number of hands. In the same way, by using the Imbera refrigerators, it signals the presence of the sponsors of this biennial and makes them active participants in the production of its artistic commission.