ARTWORKS IN COMPETITION Section curated by
Elisabetta Civitan
There is no doubt that there has always been a strong, century-old bond between art and nutrition: in fact, since ancient times food has had a deep meaning in artistic representations. From the early ancient and medieval reproductions to the tables lavishly laden with food and drink of the great Dutch masters and of painters from Emilia-Romagna, to the works of modern artists, such as Van Gogh, Gauguin or Cezanne, De Chirico and metaphysical painting, Andy Warhol and the Pop Art movement, up to today’s contemporary artists, like Carl Warner, who creates real Foodscapes, food has always played a key role in classic and contemporary art history, whether in the background or at the forefront, as an accessory or the prominent subject. And, while in medieval and modern art food was depicted as what it was or as something having a deeper, mysterious meaning, in contemporary art it plays a different role. Artists like Salvador Dalì, who created Bust of a Woman, a baguette crowning her head and cobs of corn dangling around her neck, or René Magritte, who shakes up all our certainties by telling us that an apple is not necessarily just an apple, are an example of this. But, of all art movements, Pop Art is certainly the one that gives a place of honor to food. From Warhol to Wesselmann, from Lichtenstein to Oldenburg, there is no pop artist who hasn’t dedicated at least one artwork to the subject of food! The reason behind the choice of this topical theme for the fifth edition of Shingle22j is the importance of nutrition in today’s society. The selected artists’ responses to the theme of food have been very different and interesting, at times ironic or touching. Some of them consider food as nutrition and nourishment for human beings, others see it from a consumerist standpoint, by reproducing food in digital pots or tiny fish in little glass jars, delicious sushi to be sold in supermarkets; others associate food to the memory of long-gone tradition, or to the aroma and flavor of traditional dishes grandmothers cook, while other artists see food as the enemy. Others believe we are all slaves of food, which invades our homes and cultures without distinction, while some see it as a symbol of today’s social and political corruption. Several images make reference to technology invading the world, with delicious recipes of “technological spaghetti” composed of mobiles, GPS and webcams, rather than the traditional “spaghetti all’amatriciana”. Forks and cutlery symbolizing different concepts contextualize cuisine and art as something no longer representing tradition, or as a reminder that food leaves its mark on the organism that eats it or on the planet that generates it; or, once again, they are seen as dangerous materials, as razor-sharp or pierced utensils that are unable to provide the necessary nutrients. There are also a variety of sculptures: a moving sculpture representing a condemned man who decides to have his last meal and satisfy his last needs; a “still life” sculpture portraying food as life “experiences and knowledge” to be tasted in a multitude of situations, fragmented and dissected by time. Of course there are also strong images of great emotional impact, such as representations of “wolfing down” stodgy food or pigging out, but also provocative representations where food becomes junk in front of an obese Venus, the result of today’s excessive abundance, or apples that exasperated genetic modification has transformed from delicious fruit into little muddy monsters. The artists participating in the fifth edition of Shingle22j have conveyed, also this year, their ideas and responses to an extremely complex theme. If “we are what we eat”, as German philosopher Ludwig Feuerbach stated in the 1800s, we can all become a better person by improving our diet and adopting better food habits every day, to rediscover a healthy food culture and the pleasure of eating in a healthy, sustainable way, for the benefit of both ourselves and our planet.