Pure Plantainum

Miguel Luciano, Pure Plantainum, 2006, green plantain plated in platinum and velvet, approx. 1233 in. (30.57.67.6 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2012.50A-B, © 2006, Miguel Luciano

Artwork Details

Title
Pure Plantainum
Date
2006
Dimensions
approx. 1233 in. (30.57.67.6 cm)
Copyright
© 2006, Miguel Luciano
Credit Line
Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment
Mediums
Mediums Description
green plantain plated in platinum and velvet
Classifications
Subjects
  • Object — fruit — plantain
Object Number
2012.50A-B

Artwork Description

In Caribbean popular culture, plantains can signify maligned African ancestry, masculinity, and national sovereignty. Luciano observed that for Latino youth this icon functioned as a badge of pride that announces their cultural roots. His bejeweled object – which houses a decomposed plantain within – visualizes how symbols change through migration. By fashioning an object that looks like extravagant hip-hop jewelry, Luciano also calls attention to how Latinos continue to play a role in creating this thriving popular culture.

Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art, 2013

Description in Spanish

En la cultura popular caribeña, los plátanos pueden significar la mancha” de la ascendencia africana, la masculinidad, y la soberanía nacional. Luciano observó que para los jóvenes latinos este ícono funcionaba como una insignia que anuncia con orgullo sus raíces culturales. Su plátano enjoyado visualiza cómo los símbolos cambian a través de la migración. Al crear un objeto semejante à la joyería extravagante de hip-hop, Luciano también llama la atención a cómo los latinos continúan desempeñando un papel en la creación de esta cultura popular floreciente.

Nuestra América: la presencia latina en el arte estadounidense, 2013

Works by this artist (8 items)

Injured Miner
Dateca.1937
lithograph on paper
Not on view
Bernard Steffen, Blown Soil, n.d., lithograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Audrey McMahon, 1968.98.14
Blown Soil
Daten.d.
lithograph
Not on view
Bernard Steffen, Starvation, ca. 1935-1943, lithograph on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Jean Nichols, 1974.38.74
Starvation
Dateca. 1935-1943
lithograph on paper
Not on view
Bernard Steffen, Windy Day, ca. 1935-1939, lithograph on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Audrey McMahon, 1968.98.13
Windy Day
Dateca. 1935-1939
lithograph on paper
Not on view

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      This audio podcast series discusses artworks and themes in the exhibition Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. In this episode, artist Elia Alba talks about Pure Plantainum by Miguel Luciano.

      Exhibitions

      Media - 2011.12 - SAAM-2011.12_1 - 77591
      Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art
      October 25, 2013March 2, 2014
      Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art presents the rich and varied contributions of Latino artists in the United States since the mid-twentieth century, when the concept of a collective Latino identity began to emerge.
      Media - 1967.129 - SAAM-1967.129_1 - 65164
      Artist to Artist
      October 1, 2021August 2, 2026
      Artist to Artist features paired artworks, each representing two figures whose trajectories intersected at a creatively crucial moment, whether as student and teacher, professional allies, or friends.

      More Artworks from the Collection

      Stephanie Syjuco, Cargo Cults (Java Bunny), 2016, pigment print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Bernie Stadiem Endowment, 2019.56.2
      Cargo Cults (Java Bunny)
      Date2016
      pigment print
      Not on view
      Hurricane Redux
      Date2018
      linocut assemblage mounted on Masonite panels
      Not on view