A few weeks ago, some fellow classmates blogged about Rirkrit Tiravanija’s “Untitled (Free)” installation in MoMA. (For those who do not recall, he is the Argentine-born Thai artist who wants museum-goers to experience the artwork themselves. With this inspiring motivational force, he serves curry to visitors. For a quick synopsis, read the last section of this article, titled “Art.” We saw the candy exhibit, too, but were hesitant to reach down and grab the silver-wrapped pieces). On our way up to the sixth floor to visit de Kooning’s installation, my two friends and I made a pit-stop on the second floor for some curry. We experienced art!
Somewhere in a corner of the second floor, Tiravanija’s installation is designed to make you feel as if you are walking through an unfinished apartment. The framework for the rooms is up, but you can see through the entire section of the “apartment” that is on display. When you first walk in (after a man kindly directs you to enter the exhibit the proper way), there are a bunch of cardboard boxes stacked on top of each other, filled with empty supplies for the curry, including the wok box, and beer. As you stroll into the adjacent room, a man on your right clicks a counter, and you enter the kitchen area, complete with a refrigerator filled with water–which is also part of the experience. Then, if you desire the full experience, you walk over to the tables adorned with the artist’s own recipe of fragrant green curry and rice; if you are a little skeptical, he lists the ingredients both on the table and on the door of the refrigerator. After getting a scoop of rice and curry, you go to sit down among other museum goers.
The beautiful part of this exhibit was, indeed, experiencing art and tasting another’s culture. However, it was more than that. What the New York Times articles seemed to ignore is the effect of the exhibit. It created a sort of home-like environment where I was given the opportunity to eat, chat, and experience something new with my friends. Tiravanija recreates home with his installation, which certainly makes sense if he was raised in Argentina. (One of my friends who joined us at the museum is Argentinian; her family is very close and bonds over food). Maybe most cultures share the experience of familial and friendly bonding over meals but at a more personal, within-the-confines-of-home level. Tiravanija succeeded in providing a setting in which strangers can create similar interactions. The installation certainly would not have had the same effect had I gone alone. Maybe Tiravanija’s main purpose was to demonstrate to visitors that home is not a location but rather a community, that home is composed of people.
I absolutely recommend and encourage you to check his installation out with some friends, maybe even ones that you normally do not get to spend much time with. Hey, plus you get a free lunch.
Artists are finding new mediums to express their creative vision everyday. And while the addition of food to exhibitions may seem like a new idea, I think that food has always been an art. Art is a sensual outlet; it aims to appeal the senses. For instance, painting and sculpture appeal to the sense of sight, music appeals to the sense of hearing, and food appeals to the sense of taste. What further asserts that food is a form of art is the Food Channel. Most of the programs are cooking competitions, but recently, there has been a huge influx in decorating competitions. Now there are programs called “Cupcake Wars” which is a cupcake decorating contest and even “Cake Boss” which follows a bakery that creates specialized cakes. These programs not only focus on the taste of food, but also the aesthetics of it. No one wants to eat something that looks gross, even if it may be incredibly sumptuous.
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Above are pictures of contestants’ masterpiece on the show “Cupcake Wars”. This shows how aesthetics play a huge role in the competition and how architectural the art of baking and presentation can actually be.
Being first generation in the United States and half-italian on my mother’s side, food was always a part of my life in terms of bonding with family. Sundays were spent with my nonni as my nonna cooked up a storm. And as if being italian wasn’t enough, my father is also a chef. He studied in Italy, from Perugia to Bari to Napoli, taking in the art of food. He taught me that food is an art, not simply something that we need to survive. The fact that cooking is a profession is proof that it is an art that involves study, perfecting of technique, practice, and aesthetics. All things that also are required by artists.
Art today is no longer just an activity that applies to the sense of sight. Artist’s believe in the idea of engaging all the senses of the viewers to what they create. Food has always been a basic need of man. Converting that into an art exhibit means that we as consumers of art have expanded our horizons towards appreciating different forms of art as well. I on a personal level have evolved to an open minded art critique. I will not turn down any new form of artistic theme or medium. However, I do question the beginnings of these works and their fast found acceptance by the world. Have we completely given up on large landscapes and self portraits on oils. After being a part of the seminar class I do understand that art changes with time. It adepts to the time period it belongs to. I cannot expect a young city dweller to paint hills and blue skies when he hasn’t ever encountered them. I should expect him to paint urban city spaces showing the ruins of humanity and deprivation of society.