August 25–28th

927 S. Santa Fe Ave, Los Angeles

12pm–8pm

RSVP TO THE RECEPTION 8/27

72U Opens Pop-Up Art Exhibit
Starring the Avocado  

In reaction to America’s on-going love affair with the avocado, 72andSunny’s in-house creative residency, 72U, has opened a 2,000 sq. ft. art exhibit that explores the absurdity of the fruit’s objectification and fetishization in culture, titled Desired.

Through a series of interactive installations and art pieces, Desired examines the commodification of common goods into status symbols, by focusing on America’s favorite fruit -- the avocado. In the 1990s, the average American ate about 1.5 pounds of avocados a year; in 2012, the average American ate 5 pounds. In the 1990s, Americans ate avocados. In 2016, Americans eat, drink, bake, pickle, freeze, grill, stuff and even wear avocados.Following its ascent from its roots in Mexico to its current status as a cultural icon, due in part to the rise of social media, the art exhibit will feature a 10-foot, oversized avocado as a symbolic statement on the fruit’s abnormal growth in popularity, a diverse collection of avocados from different Los Angeles neighborhoods, and avocado erotica that takes a literal interpretation of food porn.  

The exhibit will also include a concept store (a term for stores featuring products with a singular centralized theme), titled “Cado,” that will showcase a curated display of avocados for sale alongside branded street-style apparel with visuals sourced from the exhibit’s Instagram, @cado_la. 

“Our culture has somehow elevated the avocado to be a luxury fruit,” says 72U Director Maria Scileppi. “Desired is equal parts an immersive experience and a social commentary that invites us to think of how our society can turn anything and everything -- people, animals, fruit -- into a celebrity.”   

Desired comes in a long line of experiential projects from 72U and 72andSunny, includingBØRNS: Lucid Candy, an interactive music experience with singer-songwriter BØRNS, theVenice Pop Up Park, a community space that was created through crowd-sourced insights from locals, Google’s Made with Code Holiday Lights where girls coded over 1 million unique designs on holiday trees on the White House lawn, and Totino’s “Bucking Couch Bowl” that featured a couch-turned-mechanical-bull controlled by Twitch users.

Desired is open to the public Thursday, August 25 to Sunday, August 28 from 12:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at 927 S. Santa Fe Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90021. RSVP required.