Fructus antropodepauperatus by Mariana Zanetti

Opening: September 14th 2019

Touched by the discovery of unfamiliar native fruits of her home country of Brazil, mainly left out due to international uniformity of fruit-consumption, illustrator Mariana Zanetti created Fructus antropodepauperatus.

She highlights endangered fruit, now known to her, in this artwork inspired by botanical notebooks.

Three fruits were chosen from three different biomes in Brazil: Cacauí (Theobroma speciosum), native to the Amazon, threatened by the advance of deforestation in the region. Araticum (Annona montana) from the Cerrado savanna, threatened by deforestation caused by agricultural and livestock expansion. Grumixama (Eugenia brasiliensis), native to the Atlantic Rainforest and at risk of disappearance due to the increase of urban areas.

Above all, one detail is the most important: the technique used to draw the three fruit, a hydrocor pen, loses its pigmentation when exposed to the sun. Hence, in time, parts of the colorful journal drawings will disappear and fade, only the pencil drawing remaining. It is a sad metaphor of what might happen to real fruit.

There is a provocation in showing this theme at this specific place: a garden that encourages the planting of fruits and vegetables. From here, a distant and privileged location, an appeal is made for the spectators to look at the risk of extinction that species suffer due to human behavior. The native Indians, one the other hand, have cultures and habits that notoriously avoid the destruction of the biomes in Brazil.

To learn more about Mariana Zanetti’s work, visit:

www.marianazanetti-illustration.com