Resilient I: Chaos [Goddess of Coffee]

Christopher Soto, Puerto Rico, 1986, Resilient I: Chaos [Goddess of Coffee] (2022), Mixed Media, 100 x 85 cm

The artist visualizes the goddess of coffee emerging from the earth, shaken and awakened by the tumult and convulsions thrust upon the island by Hurricane María. She finds a landscape stripped of its foliage; a people without shelter or water; and the smell of devastation and putrid fruit seeping in the air. She couldn’t help but notice 80% of the coffee trees were destroyed. “Borikén”, named as such by its original habitants the “Taínos”; subsequently named Puerto Rico (Rich Port); once an abundant paradise now lay in ruins barren and broken; the goddess knew her mission: to rouse her people to wake them and to unify them. 

Look Closer: Originally brought to the island by the Spaniards who colonized the island, coffee has been a central landmark of Puerto Rican history and culture for over 280 years; and like much of the island’s culture, reflects a blending of African and European roots. By the 19^th century, the island was the 4^th largest producer of coffee worldwide; a title they lost after two impactful events: a devastating hurricane in 1899 and Puerto Rico’s forced entry into the United States as a colony. The hurricane destroyed the crops and the island’s new political status inflated costs of production and imposed worker shortages as the diaspora fled the island. Currently 22,000 people grow, process, sell and serve coffee on the island. Coffee is a staple in daily life, as it is custom to receive guests and loved ones with a freshly brewed cup. For Puerto Ricans, coffee is much more than a breakfast item; it is a multi generational ritual.  Coffee- an almost ever present aroma floating in the air at every gathering and family function; with coffee we gather, we commune, we lament, we plan, we muse, and we mobilize.  

*Listed price includes art work, framing and tax.