Original photographic works of art explore a myriad of concepts regarding food. Several artists have created contemporary interpretations of classic 17th Century still life paintings, utilizing traditional as well as modern elements such as fried chicken and cafeteria trays. The context of some of the work includes aspects of food politics, diets, nutrition, and fast food, as they permeate our society through marketing and popular culture. One artist explores a scientific and technical process, known as Kirlian Photography, that uses electricity rather than light to make contact images (of food) on photographic media. Another artist’s photographs recreate the last meals of death row inmates which were published in her book Last Meal. Several artists delve into topics such as eating disorders, biotechnology, food processing, agriculture, and simply food as art.
Overall, many of the images evoke a sense of play or engage the viewer in a social commentary. Ultimately, the viewer is challenged to construct their own meaning about the images and to join the current cultural and socio-political discussions regarding the American diet.
Last chance to see the exhibition which closes Sunday!
http://www.thebrogan.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=232&Itemid=76