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    Insatiable Mouths and Fingers Rouse a Delicate Tea Set by Artist Ronit Baranga

    
    Art
    Food

    #anatomy
    #cake
    #ceramics
    #pie
    #sculpture
    #surreal

    September 14, 2020
    Grace Ebert

    All images © Ronit Baranga, shared with permission
    Israeli artist Ronit Baranga (previously) embodies voracious appetites by merging anatomical parts, desserts, and serving ware in an evocative ceramic series titled All Things Sweet and Painful. Dextrous fingers balance a plate and manage to swipe a bit of frosting from a cupcake. Whether implanted in a fruity pie or a teacup, gaping mouths clamor for a taste of the pastries and stick their tongues out for a taste.
    In a statement, Baranga explains that the surreal series is focused on luxurious foods. “The mixed emotions of need and the insatiable hunger for more – more sugar, more attention, more love. There is a constant push against the boundaries of rational consumption, craving the sugar rush, forever tempted to go overboard,” she says.
    Baranga has a number of ongoing and upcoming exhibitions scheduled, including at Munich’s størpunkt through October 31 and the Eretz Israel Museum in Tel-Aviv through 2021. The sumptuous artworks shown here will be on view at Beinart Gallery in Melbourne starting mid-October, and you can browse more of Baranga’s sculptures on Instagram.

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    #anatomy
    #cake
    #ceramics
    #pie
    #sculpture
    #surreal

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    Evoking West-African Masks, Faces Emerge from Cast-Iron Skillets by Artist Hugh Hayden

    
    Art
    Food

    #cooking
    #diaspora
    #masks
    #sculpture

    August 12, 2020
    Grace Ebert

    “Jazz 10” (2020), cast iron, 16 1/2 x 11 3/4 x 3 1/8 inches. All images © Hugh Hayden, courtesy of Lisson Gallery
    New York-based artist Hugh Hayden (previously) visualizes the ways African traditions are embedded into multiple facets of American culture through a series of cast-iron skillets. Part of a larger exhibition titled American Food, the 26 pans are molded to reveal facial impressions that evoke West African-style masks, blending the cooking tool and cultural object.
    Generally established by cooks who were enslaved, southern food includes many of the flavors, techniques, and ingredients prevalent in African cuisine, forming what Hayden sees as one of the foremost culinary traditions distinct to the United States. This direct impact is evident in the physical artworks—the expressive masks literally emerge from the pans—although it transcends the effects on the kitchen. As he writes about “The Cosby’s” (shown below) on Instagram, “I made this triptych as an homage to the indelible cultural impact of the African diaspora on the creation of American entertainment, food, industry, and society.”
    Hayden creates the skillets through sand casting, a manufacturing technique that utilizes the granular substance as a mold, which the artist employs as a way to recognize “the imperfectness of the materials, their colonial histories, and the inherent loss of detail in the reproduction process.” He also parallels the sculpting process to the diaspora, considering how the original object is obscured and imbued with cultural significance when it’s finished. Ultimately, American Food celebrates “the indebtedness to African origins in the cooking—as a form of creation of America, Western culture, and Modern Art,” a statement says.

    “Jazz 19” (2020), cast iron, 21 1/4 x 12 x 5 1/2 inches
    “The Cosby’s” (2020), cast iron, three skillets, 12 1/8 x 8 1/4 x 5 7/8 inches, 14 1/2 x 10 5/8 x 4 1/4 inches, 18 7/8 x 14 1/8 x 2 1/2 inches
    “Jazz 15” (2020), cast iron, 16 7/8 x 11 3/8 x 6 1/4 inches
    Left: “The Cosby’s” (2020), cast iron, three skillets, 12 1/8 x 8 1/4 x 5 7/8 inches, 14 1/2 x 10 5/8 x 4 1/4 inches, 18 7/8 x 14 1/8 x 2 1/2 inches. Right: “Jazz 17” (2020), cast iron, 16 1/4 x 10 3/8 x 7 inches
    “Jazz 18” (2020), cast iron, 19 5/8 x 9 5/8 x 5 inches

    #cooking
    #diaspora
    #masks
    #sculpture

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    Plump and Peeled Ceramic Bananas Shape Koji Kasatani’s Evocative Sculptures

    
    Art
    Food

    #bananas
    #humor
    #sculpture

    August 10, 2020
    Grace Ebert

    All images © Koji Kasatani, shared with permission
    Long before the infamous banana sent waves through the art world last year, Koji Kasatani was forming playful sculptures with the yellow produce. From a couple of peels mid-waltz to another fruit flattened into a puddle, the ceramic-and-resin artworks are evocative and humorous. Kasatani shares with Colossal that while the banana is a recurring motif, its purpose is light-hearted and is a form of idiosyncratic expression.
    At 40 years old, the Japanese artist first started sculpting ceramic pieces after a residency in Florence, where he learned traditional Italian techniques. Since 2010, Kasatani has created an extensive body of work inspired by the fruit, which you can find on Instagram.

    #bananas
    #humor
    #sculpture

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    Berries, Cookies, and Salami Slices Anonymize Vintage Portraits by Digital Artist Harriet Moutsopoulos

    
    Art
    Food

    #collage
    #portraits
    #surreal

    July 9, 2020
    Grace Ebert

    “Idaeus,” 20 x 24.01 inches. All images © Harriet Moutsopoulos, shared with permission
    Telling someone that there’s an errant herb stuck between their teeth or a dot of sauce just below their lip is likely to spur embarrassment, so noting that they’re covered in egg or raspberry or a gloopy mound of ketchup might be too much to bear. Harriet Moutsopoulos, though, helps her subjects save face by completely masking their distinct features with singular bites of fruit, bowls of ice cream, and slices of salami, ensuring their anonymity.
    The Australian artist, who works under the name Lexicon Love, combines found portraits and edibles into strange collages. Although her techniques are digital, Moutsopolous often considers analog practices, preferring basic technologies to programs like Photoshop or Illustrator. She also imposes limits of two or three elements to maintain the integrity of each piece. “The most significant challenge for me is giving each artwork the slight imperfections of hand and the general look and feel of being made entirely from traditional, analog practices,” she says.
    Moutsopolous tells Colossal that she’s “drawn to the surreal and unsettling and try to inject that into my work where possible, always seeking out the unexpected connections between humor and tragedy.” At times both comical and unsettling, the bizarre compilations inspire questions about the subjects’ identities. “On the surface, this absurd combination appears to reject any sense of reason (an extension of my own twisted sense of humor). However, obscuring the faces of my portraits with food is designed to not only challenge traditional notions of beauty but also to provoke, tease, and confuse the observer,” the artist says.
    Pick up one of Moutsopoulos’s prints on her site, and follow her future food-covered assemblages on Instagram. (via Inag)

    “Protogonus,” 20 x 24.01 inches
    “Carry on Regardless,” 20 x 24.01 inches
    “Cancelled,” 20 x 24.01 inches
    “You Win Again,” 20 x 20 inches
    “First Love,” 20 x 24.01 inches
    “Lorem Ipsum,” 20 × 24.01 inches
    “Dog’s Balls,” 20 x 24.01 inches

    #collage
    #portraits
    #surreal

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    Sliced and Diced Food Arranged into Color-Coded Sequences by Adam Hillman

     All images © Adam Hillman, shared with permission Adam Hillman (previously) has taken recommendations to choose a balanced diet seriously. For each slice of Granny Smith apple, the New Jersey-based artist pairs a quartered cucumber, halved kiwi, and peeled plantain in a meticulous, color-coded arrangement. Using produce, candy, and breakfast fare, Hillman organizes an […] More

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    Domestic Ceramics by Mechelle Bounpraseuth Infused with Culinary Life and Family Memories

     All images © Mechelle Bounpraseuth, shared with permission Sydney-based artist Mechelle Bounpraseuth crafts miniature ceramics that explore her identity as a first-generation daughter of Laotian refugees. Her small and glossy ceramic artwork, which ranges from drink cans to widely known sauces, explores her connection with her past and how branded ingredients are rooted in […] More

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    Japanese Chef Has Filled Notebooks with Delectable Illustrations of All of His Meals for 32 Years

     All images ©  Kushino Terrace, shared with permission Some meals leave an impression—you might remember the cherry pie your grandma always made or a multi-course dinner consisting of toast and caviar, a mound of shaved truffle topping pasta, and wagyu tartare. Rather than solely rely on his memory to envision the fare he’s enjoyed, […] More