|
The Exhibition
Eating is basic to existence – we eat to survive, but we also eat to celebrate, to share, to quell boredom, to satisfy cravings, and to win contests at county fairs.
Eating satisfies deep personal and collective needs, and our decisions about whether and how, what and when, where and with whom to eat are loaded with personal, social, economic, political, ecological, religious, sexual and ethical implications. At a moment when our popular culture is virtually obsessed with food (cooking shows “kickin’ it up a notch,” low-carb diets, “Super-sized” portions, obesity studies, and public debates about food sources and food safety abound) and with so many contemporary artists responding in turn, it makes sense to take stock of what we think about eating.
The Salina Art Center’s Eating project casts a wide net – inviting community participation in an open-ended discussion about a shared experience that is intrinsic to our daily lives. The Eating exhibition which anchors the project is open-ended too. Far from being an encyclopedic account of contemporary issues and attitudes about food and sustenance, The Eating show gathers together eleven mostly emerging artists whose independent voices are sure to spawn lively discussion on the art of filling one’s gullet.
About the artists:
Los Angeles-based architect and designer Fritz Haeg visited Salina in July to organize an ambitious off-site project for the show. Haeg has joined with local homeowners Priti and Stan Cox and the Land Institute to initiate his Edible Estates project, which seeks to replace typical American lawns with thriving, edible gardens. Tania Candiani (Tijuana, Mexico) will collaborate with Salina residents to create a food quilt (made with real food!) that will span the front windows of the Art Center. Candiani will also exhibit two large sewn drawings which explore emotions connected to eating. Lisa Bang Hoffman’s (Lincoln, Nebraska) intimate color and black and white photographs document the experience of sustaining an organic family farm. Adam Zaretsky’s (West Hurley, New York) large-scale photographs speculate on what lions and tigers like to eat, while David Lachman’s (North Adams, Massachusetts) humorous videos focus on food and domesticity, including feline manners at mealtime. Nicolas Lampert’s (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) Meatscape digital prints envision prime cuts as public monuments. Cindy Zimmerman’s (Salina, Kansas) food cart installation celebrates abundance with a series of changing food sculptures, while Eva Strohmeier’s (Albany, California) video triptych entitled Vanitas captures a still life in decay. Jonathan Stevens’ (Bowling Green, Ohio) elegantly composed photographs document an ongoing performance in which the artist is literally consuming the word of God. Callyann Casteel’s (Kansas City, Missouri) super-sized stuffed hamburger costumes poke fun at food obsession in our culture, and Nicolas Dumit Estevez’s (New York, New York) instructional video, USA Paradisiaca uses humor to prod the relationships between food, sex, and cultural stereotypes.
|
|
|
