Forbidden Fruit is a wearable and performative series that explores the dichotomy of the precarious and the “precious”, the politicized body and the absurdity of crossing “illegal” fruits such as the mango, the avocado, and the orange from Mexico into the U.S. The fruits are placeholders for immigrants and I wore each brooch on 3 different occasions while crossing the border, and declaring nothing when asked what I was bringing back from Mexico. The fruits have 24k gold leaf with a steel pin mechanism.
Performance, Photography and Text by Akiceri
Crevices filled with hope and pain,
Dreams divided by checkpoints and surveillance.
El río me sonríe, the river smiles at me, the birds awaken the pulse of life.
Mi gente, my people, me conmueve, like the sun moves the trapped river between the walls.
Forbidden dreams and cries,
Forbidden to ask why.
“Que lleva?” “Que declara?”
I declare dignity, freedom and the right to migrate.
“Nada”—I reply…only the seeds of my land, de mi tierra. The sweet scent of fruit reminds me to transcend, como el río de mi frontera.