This exploration of the cultural and personal meanings of an object, space, or food in relation to history and power has been one of her ongoing interests. In Hygieia from 2017, Núñez Rodríguez documented hotels through black and white photography. She illustrated these spaces as temporary homes, whose history is consistently removed. In her own words, while exploring this dynamic, “Hygieia dignifies the work of the hotel maids.”
Núñez Rodríguez’s project Banana Massacre from 2018 displays an even more explicit take on the concepts of space/object and power. To commemorate the massacre of United Fruit Company workers (now part of the Chiquita corporation) in a Colombian town in December of 1928, Núñez Rodríguez transformed the Chiquita logo into an homage to the leaders of the workers’ strike. “Through the use of images, I establish new forms of collaboration and knowledge production that interrogate the impacts of collective memory and cultural heritage on identity.”
I identify her practices as creating a non-hierarchical dialogue between an artist and many voices, bending the productive limits of documentary photography and artistic research. This practice is a fundamental element of Cooking Potato Stories.
Before the viewer actually enters the exhibition space, the beautifully written exhibition text sets the tone: “When you say ‘potato’ the response is often an autobiography; potatoes provide a way for us to speak about ourselves” Earle, Rebecca (2019). Following this introduction, the visitor enters a dim-lighted warm room and is confronted by a sense of comfort, tradition and home. A (potato-)floral wallpaper on a chimney, soft yellow painted walls and a wooden floor set the scene. On the right side, a pile of potato sacks is positioned, provocatively displaying the words “the perfect migrant” all over them. On the left side, old-fashioned furniture invites the visitor to sit down while a vintage television displays different traditional potato recipes. Would you like to grab one and start peeling? The printed-out recipe for potato tortillas is even offered on the table for the visitor to take home with them.