Superflex, Guaraná Power, 2004

Guaraná Power is a soft drink that is produced by a collective of farmers in the Maués municipality of Brazil. The soft drink was produced in response to decreased competition within the guaraná seed market due to monopoly by multinational corporations, thus driving costs down and threatening the livelihoods of these small scale farmers. The Danish artists’ group SUPERFLEX collaborated with this collective of Brazilian farmers to give them a competitive edge within the guaraná market against these cartel-like corporations. SUPERFLEX provided them with the resources required to manufacture their own product at a low cost and compete against the corporations, thus negotiating a way out of their situation. This is demonstrative of democratic artwork because SUPERFLEX used its access to resources and privilege as a member of a wealthy Western European country to assist in the creation of a self-sustaining solution for victims of a global capitalist system, giving a voice to the unheard.

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