Joiri Minaya’s “Redecode: a tropical theme is a great way to create a fresh, peaceful, relaxing atmosphere” is based on two wallpapers designed in the 1940s for two luxury American hotels. The original patterns, in a style popular in the midcentury US, were named “Brazilliance,” designed by Dorothy Draper for the Greenbrier Hotel in West Virginia, and “Martinique Banana Leaf,” designed by Don Loper for the Beverly Hills Hotel. The popularity of this style coincided with the peak period of US interventions in Latin America and the Caribbean, and Minaya uses the two designs and their names to explore constructed concepts of fantasy, exoticism, pleasure, and consumerism associated with the tropics that still prevail today. El Museo del Barrio, 1230 Fifth Ave. at 104th St. Through Jan. 20, 2017: Tue.-Sat., 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Admission is $9; $5 for students & seniors. Information at elmuseo.org.
