Food and art share a bond as old as the pyramids. Time-worn paintings of sumptuous banquets adorn the walls of these colossal tombs in Africa: images the ancient Egyptians believed could feed departed souls in the afterlife. The Greeks and Romans weren’t far behind, either. From still-life paintings in the Renaissance to the imaginative portraits of fruits and vegetables by Arcimboldo; from Manet’s Le Déjeuner Sur L’Herbe to Andy Warhol’s Campbell Soup cans, food’s voyage through art history has thus far been long and intriguing. Its next stop, locally, is the French Institute and a soon-to-open exhibition of ‘culinary art’.
“There are currently famous food photographers who use humour, sensitivity, provocation, abstraction or realism for their artistic shots,” says Céline Ngi, head of communications at the institute. “The idea of this exhibition is to present this diversified and captivating new creative niche. Food photography can also bring sociological, ethnological or even psychological reflections: are we what we eat? Does something that looks great necessarily have a good taste too? Why can a dish that appears disgusting for someone turn out to be a delicacy for somebody else?”
Every picture is personal, expressing the identity and gastronomic point of view of the photographer. Céline motions to Virginie Rol’s entry in the exhibition, entitled – rather gruesomely – Cadavre Exquis (‘Exquisite Corpse’). In it, the photographer uses retroillumination to highlight in detail a single oyster. “I know that for many people it won’t appear very appetising,” says Celine, “but as a shellfish lover I still find it delicious!”
Among the funniest photographs in Arts & Food is one of a pair of black rubber boots overloaded with groceries. J’ai Descendu Dans Mon Jardin (‘I went down my garden’), is the explicative title of this shot by Patrick Rougereau. Another offbeat image is the surrealistic composition Street Burger, by Cécile Venaille and Guillaume Van Santen.
The exhibition brings together pictures initially displayed at The International Festival of Culinary Photography in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Arts & Food offers a tantalising tidbit of the larger event, currently touring Asia, whetting your appetite with three thematic sections: Fish and shellfish; Fruits & vegetables, herbs, flowers and spices, and Street food, Food on the fly.
WHO: International culinary photographers
WHAT: Arts & Food photo exhibition
WHERE: Institut Français du Cambodge, #218 Street 184
WHEN: From 6:30pm May 15 until June 14
WHY: “Plates or pictures of sunshine taste of happiness and love.” – Keith Floyd