“It’s a story of hope, of how this big damage can be reversed,” says the designer Fernando Laposse. He’s talking about Cherán, a small town in the Mexican state of Michoacán surrounded by forested mountains. In 2011, as huge swaths of those forests were being destroyed by illegal logging — largely associated with rapidly expanding avocado production — a group of local indigenous people rose up to protect the land and fight back against the loggers, who were involved in a network of organised crime. These days, the town has an ambitious reforestation programme and a self-ruling indigenous government that has banned commercial avocado production. From December 3 to April 7, Laposse’s new project inspired by Cherán, named “Conflict Avocados”, will be on display at the NGV Triennial in Melbourne, Australia. The designer has made a name for himself through turning natural materials and agricultural waste — such as loofah, agave fibres and corn husks — into intriguing furniture.
June 4, 2025